LIBRARY 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

SANTA  BARBARA 

PRESENTED  BY 
JOY  MYERS 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS 


OF 


HORACE  SEAVER, 


FKOM 


SELECTED  FKOM 

Boston  Enfaattgator. 


"  Come  forth  into  the  light  of  things, 
Let  Nature  be  your  Teacher." 

Wordsworth. 


BOSTON: 
PUBLISHED  BY   J.   P.   MEKDUM, 

Investigator  ©ffice, 

PAINE    MEMORIAL    BUILDING, 

APPLETON  STREET. 

1888. 


COPYRIGHTED, 

1888, 
BY  J.  P.  MENDUM. 


PREFACE. 


THIS  volume  is  made  up  of  editorials  written 
for  the  Investigator  by  Mr  Seaver.  It  has  been 
prepared  with  his  knowledge  and  consent,  but 
without  consulting  his  judgment  as  to  its  con- 
tents. 

The  responsibility  of  selecting  the  articles  for 
this  book  was  assumed  without  thought  of  criti- 
cism. The  desire  which  prompted  the  work,  and 
directed  its  preparation,  was  to  preserve,  in  a 
more  convenient  form,  the  writings  of  one  who 
has  honored  the  cause  of  free  thought  by  his 
ability  and  devotion,  and  who  is  honored  and  re- 
spected, by  thousands  of  his  fellow  beings,  as  the 
Nestor  of  Liberalism. 

No  apology  need  be  offered  for  giving  this  book 
to  the  world.  It  carries  its  own  recommendation. 
Every  friend  of  honest  thought  will  welcome  it  as 
a  valuable  addition  to  the  library  of  honest  litera- 
ture, which  is  yet  none  too  large.  Every  father 
who  is  desirous  of  having  a  wise  instructor  for  the 
growing  minds  of  his  children  will  be  glad  to 
take  this  volume  into  his  home. 

3 


4  PREFACE. 

A  new  generation,  which  is  to  carry  forward  the 
work  of  emancipation  from  the  bondage  of  super- 
stition, is  coming  upon  the  stage  of  action.  The 
counsel  of  the  generation  which  is  now  passing 
away  should  be  heeded.  No  man  of  his  time  has 
spoken  wiser  words  than  Horace  Seaver. 

If  the  lessons  contained  in  this  volume  could 
be  transmuted  into  human  character  and  human 
life,  the  individual  would  be  nobler,  society  would 
be  purer,  and  the  nation  would  be  better. 

Let  us  remember  that  it  is  not  only  wisdom  to 
speak  wise  words,  but  also  to  heed  them. 

L.  K.  WASHBURN. 

REVERE,  Mass,  Aug.  24,  1888. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

OPPOSITION  AND  PREJUDICE 9 

EDUCATION  A  CUBE  FOB  BIGOTRY 11 

CIRCUMSTANCES 13 

GOVERNMENT 14 

WOMAN'S  EIGHTS 17 

SOCIETY 20 

THE  SCHOOLMASTER 21 

PRIESTS 22 

FREE  DISCUSSION 23 

THE  TRIUMPH  OF  LEARNING 24 

HINTS  TO  HERETICS 25 

THE  THEATRE 26 

WHO  is  THE  ATHEIST? 28 

TEMPERANCE 30 

INDIVIDUAL  EFFORT 32 

HEAVEN  AND  HELL 33 

KELIGIOUS  DESPOTISMS 34 

CONSCIENCE 35 

To  ADVOCATE  UNWELCOME  TRUTHS  NO  EASY  TASK    .  36 

AGITATION 37 

OPINIONS 38 

EXAGGERATION 39. 

THE  QUESTION 40 

THE  PRESENT  AGE 41 

THOMAS  PAINE 43 

SELF-RESPECT 44 

SECTARIANISM 45 

THE  WORKING-CLASS 47 

REFORMERS 49 

LIBERTY 51 

5 


6  CONTENTS. 

MOTIVES 52 

VIRTUE  AND  RELIGION ',,', 

BAI>  INTENTIONS 54 

"THE  WORLD  MOVES" 55 

RELIGION  AND  LIBERALISM 56 

SUNDAY  SCHOOLS 59 

REVERENCE  FOR  OLD  DOCTRINES 61 

COURAGE 63 

FREE  SPEECH 64 

THE  CLOSING  YEAR 65 

THE  UNKNOWN 67 

WHAT  WILL  YOU  SUBSTITUTE  FOB  RELIGION?     ...  68 

INDIVIDUALITY 70 

FREEDOM  OF  THE  PRESS 74 

DIFFERENCE  OF  OPINION 76 

REFLECTIONS 77 

MOTHERS 79 

PHILOSOPHY  AND  RELIGION 81 

LIFE  A  JOURNEY 82 

THE  GREAT  PURPOSE  OF  SOCIAL  LIFE 83 

NATURE  AND  REASON 85 

PURPOSES  OF  LIFE 86 

PUNISHMENT 87 

RIGHT  DOCTRINE 89 

LEARNING  A  TRADE 89 

HOME  CONVERSATION 91 

IMPROVEMENT  OF  MANKIND 93 

THIS  WORLD 96 

A  FUTURE  LIFE 97 

THE  INFLUENCE  OF  WOMAN 98 

OLD  AGE ^ 101 

LIGHT  AND  DARKNESS 102 

PRIDE 106 

LIVING  AND  DYING 108 

INTELLECTUAL  PLEASURES 109 

EVILS 113 

DUTY  AND  HAPPINESS 114 

UNIVERSAL  BENEVOLENCE 115 

TRUTH                                        117 


CONTENTS.  7 

PLEASTJKES 121 

LIBERTY  —  REASON  —  JUSTICE  —  SOCIETY   .    .    ...    .  124 

IMAGINATION 127 

LITERATURE  —  EDUCATION  —  JUSTICE 131 

WORDS  —  IDEAS 133 

MAKE  THE  BEST  OF  EVERYTHING 137 

,  INTELLECTUAL  IMPROVEMENT 139 

ACTIONS  —  DUTIES  —  VIRTUES 140 

MOTHERS  AND  CHILDREN 144 

AMUSEMENTS  ON  SUNDAY 148 

THE  TRAINING  OF  CHILDREN 151 

PHYSICAL  EDUCATION 152 

REFORM 154 

THOUGHTS  FOR  THE  YOUNG 155 

THE  RIGHT  TO  EXPRESS  OPINIONS 158 

PREACHING 161 

THE  SUPPLY  OF  NATURAL  WANTS 164 

THE  RIGHT  TO  GOOD  GOVERNMENT 168 

FEMALE  INFLUENCE 171 

IMPORTANCE  OF  COMMON  SCHOOLS 173 

THE  CLERGY  AND  REFORM 175 

VIRTUE  AND  VICE 177 

PROVIDENCE 180 

EDITING 182 

A  CHEERFUL  PHILOSOPHY 183 

A  NOBLE  LIFE 185 

ACTIONS 186 

RIGHTS 187 

RELIGION  AND  COMMON  SENSE 188 

SCIENCE  AND  RELIGION 190 

THOUGHTS  ON  LIFE  AND  DEATH 194 

FOLLOW  THE  LIGHT  OF  EVIDENCE 198 

WHAT  is  TRUTH  ? 202 

MAN 205 

WHAT  HUMANITY  NEEDS 208 

SECTARIAN  SCHOOLS 210 

INDIVIDUALITY 212 

SUNDAY 213 

INFIDELITY  ,  215 


8  CONTENTS. 

THE  INTELLECTUAL  FACULTIES 210 

FREEDOM  OF  OPINION 217 

PROTESTANTS  —  CATHOLICS 219 

MOKAL  INFLUENCE 220 

RELIGION  IN  THE  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 221 

FORMATION  OF  OPINIONS 222 

A  CHURCH 223 

BLIND  FAITH 224 

IGNORANCE  AND  DEVOTION 225 

CRIME 227 

MORALITY 228 

THIS  WORLD  .                                                                 ,  229 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 


OPPOSITION  AND  PKEJUDICE. 

IT  would  be  difficult  to  find,  in  the  general  pre- 
judice against  the  advocates  of  our  principles,  any 
justifiable  motive  for  that  prejudice.  We  are  not 
to  be  understood  to  assert  that  there  are  none  who 
honestly  and  conscientiously  oppose  us.  We  have 
no  doubt  there  are  many.  But  this  is  no  proof 
that  their  opposition  is  founded  on  correct 
grounds,  and  is  therefore  right  and  expedient. 
Man  may  be  as  conscientious  in  error,  as  in  truth, 
but  it  is  error,  nevertheless  ;  and  the  opposition  it 
creates,  however  sincere,  is  none  the  less  unjust. 

While,  then,  we  admit  that  we  have  some  con- 
scientious opposers,  we  are  no  less  conscientious 
in  affirming  that  their  opposition  and  prejudice 
are  based  on  error;  and  consequently  their  con- 
duct cannot  be  justified.  That  this  is  the  truth, 
is  apparent  from  our  doctrine  itself;  for  it  con- 
tains nothing  that  any  man  in  his  right  senses  can 
honestly  reject.  We  profess  to  believe  only  in 
things  known  and  seen,  —  things  that  have  been 
demonstrated  by  actual  observation  or  experience, 

9 


10  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

and  of  course  known  to  be  what  they  are  repre- 
sented. This  we  call  knowledge  ;  and  the  only 
knowledge  in  the  world  worthy  of  the  name. 
Who  can  advance  a  valid  or  reasonable  objection 
to  this  belief?  We  disbelieve,  on  the  other  hand, 
only  what  is  unseen  and  unknown,  and  cannot  be 
seen  or  known.  But  here  is  no  disbelief  of 
knowledge  involved.  And  who,  we  ask  again,  can 
rationally  object  to  this  belief  ? 

These  two  principles  comprise,  in  substance, 
the  doctrine  for  which  we  contend.  And,  we 
repeat,  it  is  difficult  on  any  reasonable  and  honest 
ground  to  account  for  the  bitter  opposition  it  has 
drawn  down  upon  those  who  support  it. 

They  who  conscientiously  oppose  our  doctrine, 
have  doubtless  never  examined  the  foundation  on 
which  it  rests ;  but,  taking  counsel  from  others, 
have  formed  a  judgment  from  the  representations 
of  persons  interested  in  deceiving  them.  Honest 
themselves,  they  have  given  implicit  credence  to 
what  they  deemed  the  honesty  of  others ;  without 
any  examination,  on  their  own  part,  of  the  truth 
of  the  charges  preferred  against  us.  But  the 
great  majority  of  our  opposers  are  sheer  calumni- 
ators, who,  in  order  to  fix  upon  us  the  detesta- 
tion of  the  public,  and  to  secure  the  safety  of  their 
"  craft,  "  brand  us  with  opprobrious  epithets  which 
excite  the  prejudice  and  animosity  of  the  people, 
and  suppress  the  spirit  of  inquiry,  the  exercise  of 
which  would  enable  them  to  judge  for  themselves. 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  11 

Let  us,  however,  continue  to  persevere  in  the 
cause  we  have  embraced,  and  make  our  examples 
prove  the  truth  of  our  principles.  So  shall  Free 
Inquiry  eventually  prevail  over  all  opposition, 


EDUCATION  A  CUBE   FOB   BIGOTRY. 

Ignorance  is  not  only  the  mother  of  supersti- 
tion, she  is  also  the  parent  of  fear.  He  who  has 
no  definite  knowledge  of  what  he  professes  to  be- 
lieve, is  not  only  afraid  openly  to  avow  his  senti- 
ments, and  firmly  to  maintain  them,  but  he  is  also 
afraid  to  have  them  very  closely  examined.  The 
consequence  is,  that  if  he  possesses  any  power 
over  those  that  are  about  him,  he  finds  it  far  easier 
to  propagate  and  defend  his  opinions  by  the  awe 
of  his  authority,  than  by  the  clearness  of  his  ex- 
planations and  the  force  of  his  arguments. 
Hence,  an  ignorant  people  are  afraid  of  frank  in- 
quiry and  close  investigation,  not  so  much,  per- 
haps, because  they  fear  the  skepticism  of  others, 
as  because  they  dread  the  exposure  of  their  own 
ignorance. 

It  is  here,  then,  that  bigotry  begins  to  fetter 
the  powers  of  the  human  mind,  and  to  chain  it  in 
a  thraldom  far  more  distressing  than  the  imprison- 
ment of  the  body.  Among  an  ignorant  people, 
the  child  is  not  permitted,  with  freedom,  to  express 
its  sentiments.  To  dare  to  doubt  what  has  been 
said  to  be  true  by  its  friends  and  its  relations,  is 


12  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

to  subject  itself,  if  not  to  their  censure,  at  least  to 
their  gloomy  frowns  and  their  dark  suspicions. 
The  result  is,  not  the  inculcation  of  correct  senti- 
ments, but  the  growth  of  an  ignorant  bigotry ; 
and  then,  when  the  mind,  unshackled  from  these 
early  religious  restraints,  begins  to  examine  for 
itself,  there  are  ten  thousand  obstacles  in  the  path 
of  truth  ;  there  is  still  this  long-cherished  fear  of 
offending  those  whom  they  have  been  taught  to 
reverence  and  to  love ;  there  is  connected  with 
this,  perhaps,  a  deep  sense  of  shame,  because  they 
know  so  little  of  things  with  which  they  ought  to 
have  been  familiar;  there  is  a  feeling  of  dis- 
couragement at  the  contemplation  of  those  who 
are  apparently  firm  in  their  convictions,  and  who 
are  enjoying  all  the  pleasures  of  unwavering  faith ; 
and  then  there  is  the  cutting,  withering  conviction 
that  they  are  unsettled  in  their  opinions,  and  yet 
cannot  express  a  doubt,  without  sacrificing  char- 
acter. It  takes  a  firm  and  decided  mind,  particu- 
larly if  one  possesses  warm  and  ardent  affections, 
to  bear  up  with  perseverance,  under  the  pressure 
of  circumstances  like  these.  And  we  have  often 
thought  that  many  an  individual  thus  educated, 
or  rather  thus  permitted  to  grow  up  in  ignorance, 
has,  in  the  madness  of  disappointed  enthusiasm, 
rejected  the  truth,  through  fear  of  subjection  to 
the  bigotry  of  error. 

Education  prevents  such  catastrophes.     It  scat- 
ters light  upon  what  is  dark,  instead  of  envelop- 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  13 

ing  it  in  tenfold  darkness.  It  encourages  inquiry 
because  it  loves  the  truth.  The  parent  who  is  in- 
structed wishes  the  child  to  ask,  that  it  may  re- 
ceive its  instruction.  Its  reasonable  doubts  are 
heard  with  attention,  and  answered  with  candor ; 
and  the  village  where  such  a  state  of  society  ex- 
ists, is  a  village  from  which  bigotry  flies,  and  in 
which  truth  makes  her  dwelling. 

CIRCUMSTANCES. 

In  respect  to  character,  man  has  a  capacity  to 
be  anything,  and  by  turns  everything,  as  circum- 
stances shall  determine.  He,  like  the  floating 
bubble  on  the  stream,  shows  us,  at  times,  many 
colors  and  mixtures  of  colors  ;  but  these  various 
shades  of  character,  however  light  or  dark,  are 
little  more  than  reflex  radiations  from  surround- 
ing objects  and  occurrences.  The  simple  nature 
of  man  is  colorless  —  it  is  fitted  to  receive  every 
variety  of  impression  ;  and  when  the  combined 
nature  and  impression  call  forth  an  action,  good  or 
bad,  such  action  discloses  not  so  much  the  hue  of 
the  nature  itself,  as  the  hue  which  it  has  taken 
from  the  bright  or  gloomy  influences  to  which 
it  has  been  exposed. 

If,  therefore,  we  would  have  the  family  of  man 
to  be,  as  it  were,  a  bright  and  glorious  assemblage 
of  the  pictures  of  humanity,  we  must  place  all 
men  in  favorable  positions,  and  surround  them 


14  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

with  circumstances  and  influences  in  which  there 
is  nothing  black  or  unseemly.  It  matters  not  so 
much  what  may  be  the  mere  knowledge  given  to 
men,  or  the  religious  or  the  moral  precepts  taught 
to  them,  if  the  circumstances  by  which  they  are 
surrounded  be  disregarded;  —  bad  circumstances 
and  influences  can  neither  produce  nor  yet  main- 
tain good  men.  Circumstances  furnish  the  seed 
of  good  or  ill,  and  man  is  but  the  soil  in  which 
they  grow.  The  characters  of  men  may  be  made 
entirely  good  or  entirely  bad,  or,  as  now,  a  varie- 
gated mixture  of  good  and  bad ;  but  if  the  insti- 
tutional circumstances  and  influences  which  sur- 
round man  do  not  accord  with  the  end  desired  — 
do  not  contain  within  them  more  of  good  than  of 
evil  —  that  which  was  intended  to  be  a  beautiful 
garden  will  become  either  choked  up  with  noxious 
weeds,  or  turned  into  a  blighted  and  barren  waste. 

GOVERNMENT. 

All  the  forms  of  government  at  present  exist- 
ing, are  in  a  greater  or  less  degree  tyrannical  and 
irresponsible.  The  wrongs  which  emanate  from 
them  operate  upon  the  people,  generally,  in  an 
indirect  manner,  through  the  medium  of  laws; 
and  such  laws  are  always  necessarily  imbued  with 
the  spirit  of  inequality  which  pervades  the  govern- 
ment from  which  they  spring. 

Might  and  right  have  long  been,  with  rulers, 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  15 

synonymous  terms ;  and  right  and  wisdom  and 
virtue  are  supposed  to  be  inherent  in  certain  per- 
sons and  classes  of  the  community,  independent 
of  other  persons  and  classes.  But  all  these  ideas 
of  superior  and  inferior  —  of  master  and  man  — 
may  be  traced  to  the  neglect  of  First  Principles, 
and  to  the  consequent  rise  of  inequality  of  possess- 
ions; and  such  ideas  will  never  be  eradicated,  nor 
the  institutions  founded  upon  them  be  subverted, 
so  long  as  this  inequality  is  maintained. 

Men  have  hitherto  blindly  hoped  to  remedy  the 
present  unnatural  state  of  things,  and  to  institute 
equality  of  rights  and  laws,  by  removing  one  rich 
tyrant  and  setting  up  another  —  by  destroying 
existing  inequality  and  leaving  untouched  the  cause 
of  the  inequality;  but  it  will  shortly  be  seen 
that  it  is  not  in  the  nature  of  any  mere  govern- 
mental change  to  afford  permanent  relief  —  that 
misgovernment  is  not  a  cause,  but  a  conse- 
quence,—  that  it  is  not  the  creator,  but  the 
created,  that  it  is  the  offspring  of  inequality  of  poss- 
essions ;  and  that  inequality  of  possessions  is  in- 
separably connected  with  our  present  social  sys- 
tem. From  this  it  will  follow  that  the  present 
state  of  things  cannot  be  remedied  unless  we 
change  at  once  our  whole  social  system  ;  for,  alter 
our  form  of  government  as  we  will,  no  such 
change  can  affect  the  system  —  no  such  change 
can  prevent  inequality  of  possessions,  and  the  di- 
vision of  society  into  employers  and  employed  — 


16  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

and  therefore,  as  a  necessary  consequence,  no  such 
change  can  remove  the  evils  which  this  system  and 
this  division  of  society  engender. 

We  do  not  act,  and  never  yet  have  acted  upon 
those  First  Principles  which  Nature  has  instituted 
for  the  guidance  and  the  welfare  of  man  ;  nor  do  we 
keep  the  broad  principle  of  equality  in  view,  either 
in  our  rights  or  our  duties,  our  labors  or  our  re- 
wards. With  us  almost  everything  is  unequal 
and  unnatural  and  unjust.  And  why  are 
things  thus?  How  is  it  that  some  men  receive 
only  half  allowance  for  doing  double  work, 
while  others  receive  double  or  quadruple  allow- 
ance merely  for  looking  on  ?  There  is  no  prin- 
ciple in  numbers  which  will  enable  one  un- 
aided man,  with  powers  only  equal  to  those  of 
any  other  man,  to  perform  the  united  labor  of  one 
hundred,  —  and  there  is  no  principle  of  reason  or 
of  justice  which  will  allow  one  man  to  appropriate 
the  fruits  of  the  labor  of  one  hundred.  And  yet 
this  unjust  appropriation  has  been  practised  and 
tolerated,  in  defiance  of  every  principle  of  num- 
bers and  of  justice,  from  the  creation  of  man  to 
the  present  day.  Such  is  the  operation  of  the 
present  social  system  ;  on  fraud  and  robbery  legal- 
ized, stand  all  its  power  and  wealth  and  glory ; 
and  until  this  system  be  overthrown,  and  immu- 
table principles  of  right  established,  let  no  man 
speak  of  peace,  or  look  for  justice,  or  hope  for 
happiness. 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  17 

WOMAN'S  EIGHTS. 

If  there  are  any  rights  withheld  from  women 
by  our  present  social  or  civil  rules,  or  if  there 
are  any  privileges  which  could  be  accorded  to 
them  without  affecting  public  morality  and  well- 
being  let  them  be  explained,  restored,  and 
granted. 

It  is  so  common  to  speak  of  woman  as  a  perfect 
nonentity,  —  a  mere  accident  in  the  race,  —  a  sort 
of  hot-bed  exotic,  cultivated  more  for  show  than 
for  use,  that  we  hardly  know  how  to  speak  other- 
wise of  her.  But  we  can  tell  our  conservative 
friends  that  in  this  matter  they  have  not  a  par- 
ticle of  ground  to  stand  upon,  —  not  a  peg  upon 
which  to  hang  an  argument  against  this  one  sim- 
ple fact:  that  woman  is  of  the  race  an  inte- 
gral portion,  subject  to  all  social,  civil,  and  crimi- 
nal laws,  yet  without  a  direct  voice  in  the  matter. 
The  direct  civil  and  political  isolation  and  exclu- 
sion of  the  chattel  slaves  of  the  South  was  not 
more  complete  than  is  that  of  woman  in  the  most 
advanced  state  of  what  is  recognized  as  the  high- 
est civilization.  Every  step  taken  by  society 
towards  her  political  emancipation  is  spoken  of 
as  a  favor  to  the  sex,  and  every  such  favor  is  re- 
garded by  some  conservatives,  as  a  wanton  and 
unnecessary  innovation  upon  wholesome  laws. 
Why  cannot  these  fearful  and  we  fear  somewhat 
fusty  old  bachelors,  reflect  that  many  such  innova- 


18  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

tions  were  necessary  before  woman  emerged  from 
the  degradation  of  savage  life  to  her  present  state  ; 
and  no  more  positive  and  absolute  sign  of  progress 
is  indicated  in  humanity,  than  the  occasional  abo- 
lition of  those  customs  which  consigned  women  to 
more  than  chattel  slavery.  We  might  refer  to  an 
old  law  of  England,  under  which  a  man  could  put 
a  rope  round  the  neck  of  his  wife,  lead  her  to  the 
marketplace,  and  there  sell  her  to  the  highest 
bidder,  precisely  like  a  horse  or  a  sheep.  This 
rude  and  barbarous  custom  was  but  a  symbol  of 
the  then  prevailing  idea  of  woman's  sphere.  She 
was  regarded  as  a  mere  appendage  to  the  race, — 
an  instrument  for  man's  lust  and  tyranny,  —  a 
sort  of  natural  accident,  resorted  to  by  Nature 
on  the  spur  of  the  moment,  as  a  sort  of  neces- 
sary expedient  to  continue  those  lordly  beings 
called  men.  No  drudgery  was  too  degrading 
for  her  to  perform,  no  punishment  too  degrad- 
ing for  her  crimes,  —  and  that  which  was  re- 
garded in  a  gentleman  as  a  mere  peccadillo, 
unworthy  of  censure  (licentiousness),  was  (and 
is)  regarded  in  women  as  the  last  seal  of  utter 
social  damnation. 

To  attempt  to  breathe  a  word  in  favor  of  in- 
justice like  this,  so  open,  palpable,  gross,  is  to 
waste  breath,  outrage  common  sense,  and  to  jus- 
tify wrong  the  most  glaring.  It  matters  nothing 
at  all  that  the  criminal  law  punishes  their  crimes 
with  equal  severity,  nor  can  a  conservative  find  a 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  19 

particle  of  countenance  from  this.  Public  opinion 
pronounces  woman  a  social  slave,  and  on  the 
strength  of  this  decree,  every  possible  distinction 
is  made  between  the  same  crime  of  the  unmarried 
woman  and  man,  —  and  the  distinction  is  wholly 
against  her.  Here  is  the  injustice  of  the  present 
infernal  social  custom. 

We  are  not  able  to  conceive  of  any  radical 
change  in  the  existing  marriage  custom  (always 
excepting  the  present  law  of  divorce),  which 
would  be  an  improvement.  But  we  do  believe 
that  placing  woman  in  her  proper  political  posi- 
tion would  lead  to  a  radical  change  in  public 
opinion  respecting  her  value.  Either  a  woman  is 
no  whit  above  a  horse,  in  the  political  and  civil 
scale,  or  she  is  part  and  parcel  of  society,  entitled 
to  her  voice  and  vote  and  property. 

Marriage  differs  from  business  copartnerships, 
but  it  is  a  copartnership,  nevertheless,  and  if  any 
distinction  be  made  in  favor  of  either  party,  it 
should  be  for  the  weaker  party  ;  now,  it  is  against 
her.  Her  labor,  also,  comes  in  for  its  share  of 
degradation,  and  that  labor  which,  performed  by 
man,  receives  one  hundred  and  fifty  cents,  when 
performed  by  woman  receives  about  fifty  or  sixty 
cents. 

These  are  abuses,  the  errors  of  past  ignorance, 
and  it  is  a  sign  of  stultification  not  to  reform  them 
out  of  sight  altogether. 


20  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 


SOCIETY. 

Were  man  a  stationary  being,  like  the  beasts 
and  birds  by  which  he  is  surrounded  —  had  he  a 
fixed  and  unchangeable  instinct,  instead  of  a  pro- 
gressive and  improvable  reason  —  any  change  in 
his  social  institutions  would  be  unnecessary. 
Society  would  have  been  the  same  at  the  begin- 
ning, as  it  is  at  present ;  and  it  would  continue 
one  uniform  state  as  long  as  man  should  exist. 
But  man  is  not  thus  stationary ;  he  is  a  reasoning, 
and  therefore  a  progressive  being.  The  knowledge 
and  experience  of  one  generation  can  be  trans- 
mitted to  the  next ;  and,  as  a  man  at  forty  years 
of  age  must  possess  more  knowledge  than  he  did 
at  twenty,  so  also  must  the  world  at  large  possess 
a  greater  accumulation  of  knowledge,  at  the  end 
of  four  thousand  years  from  the  creation  of  man, 
than  was  possessed  at  the  end  of  four  hundred. 
Knowledge  is  simply  an  accumulation  of  facts; 
and  wisdom  is  the  art  of  applying  such  knowledge 
to  its  true  purpose  —  the  promotion  of  human  hap- 
piness. Although  men  may  have  much  knowl- 
edge, and  no  wisdom,  there  can  only  be  little 
wisdom  where  there  is  but  little  knowledge.  The 
present  generation  have  the  accumulated  knowl- 
edge and  experience  of  four  thousand  years  to  work 
upon :  and  therefore  they  have  it  in  their  power 
to  act  wiser,  in  respect  to  the  establishment  of 
social  and  political  institutions,  than  any  genera- 
tion that  has  preceded  them. 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  21 

Such  being  the  nature  of  man,  and  such  his 
powers,  the  consideration  of  a  social  change  need! 
excite  no  more  surprise  or  apprehension  than  a  sim- 
ple political  movement.  If  a  social  change  be  a 
gigantic  one,  so,  likewise,  are  the  evils  mighty 
which  require  to  be  removed.  Throughout  the 
whole  universe,  from  the  most  stupendous  planet 
to  the  individual  atom,  changes  are  perpetual, 
there  is  nothing  at  rest,  nothing  stationary ;  to 
affirm,  therefore,  that  governmental  institutions 
require  no  reformation,  that  social  systems  need 
no  alteration,  is  just  as  absurd  as  to  say  that  the 
man  shall  wear  the  swaddling  clothes  which  be- 
fitted his  infancy,  and  be  pleased  in  maturity, 
with  the  rattle  which  charmed  his  childhood. 


THE   SCHOOLMASTER. 

The  position  of  the  schoolmaster  should  be 
better  secured.  It  is  essential  that  he  should 
be  independent  and  respectable.  His  authority 
should  be  jealously  guarded.  His  emoluments 
should  be  dealt  with  a  liberal  hand,  and  with  an 
assured  regularity,  such  as  will  place  him  beyond 
anxiety  on  that  score,  and  thus  leave  his  mind 
calm  and  free  for  an  occupation  in  which  calm- 
ness and  freedom  of  mind  are  eminently  requisite. 
A  common  blunder  in  this  country  is,  to  un- 
derrate the  functions  and  importance  of  the 
schoolmaster.  We  buy  our  teachers  in  what  is 


22  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

pecuniarily,  though  not  in  reality,  the  cheapest 
market.  And  yet  we  prate  about  our  immortal 
souls !  All  the  while  neglecting  or  only  half 
appreciating  those  whose  influence  must  develop 
the  capacity  of  knowledge  into  actual  intelligence, 
and  render  the  soul  or  mind  more  dignified  and 
valuable  than  the  instinct  of  the  brute.  Educa- 
tion has  no  more  important  problem  to  be  solved 
than  that  of  raising  the  educator  to  a  proper 
position  ;  that,  we  mean,  which  the  well-being  of 
the  young  and  of  society  requires  he  should  oc- 
cupy. 

PRIESTS. 

The  idea  of  going  to  heaven  through  the  aid  of 
priests  places  mankind  at  once  in  a  stage  of  de- 
pendence and  inferiority.  When  once  accustomed 
to  this  state,  they  are  thus  necessarily  prepared 
for  all  those  degrading  concessions  and  compli- 
ances, which  constitute  the  condition  of  master 
and  slave.  Firmness  and  nobleness  of  mind  are 
gone ;  men  become  dastards  in  character,  and 
recreant  in  nature.  The  designing  and  hypocrit- 
ical, who  believe  nothing  of  the  imposition,  join 
in  the  practice  of  it,  to  carry  their  own  worldly 
schemes ;  some  of  pride,  some  of  genius,  others 
of  gain,  but  like  all  schemes  of  tyranny,  the  bur- 
then of  paying  and  fighting  for  them  falls  invari- 
ably on  the  common  mass. 

It  is  impossible  that  the  honest  portion  of  the 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  23 

community  could  for  a  moment  maintain  this 
system,  if  once  brought  to  see  its  falsity.  The 
whole  system  has  been  believed  and  adopted 
without  a  particle  of  proof;  and  that  under  the 
most  unaccountable  circumstances  of  absurdity 
and  contradiction.  Why  do  not  honest  men  first 
demand  proof  of  it,  before  they  become  its  slaves. 
It  is  true  that  all  systems  of  faith  and  religion 
are  got  up  by  man,  to  impose  on  his  fellow  ;  or  it 
is  true  that  one  or  more  of  them  are  instituted  by 
deity.  If  any  one  be  instituted  by  deity,  which 
one  is  it  ?  when  was  it  instituted  ?  where  was  it 
instituted  ?  why  was  it  instituted  ?  No  mark  is 
put  upon  any  known  system  by  which  it  can  be 
distinguished  as  coming  from  deity ;  on  the  con- 
trary, all  bear  the  mark  of  the  folly  and  imperfec- 
tion of  man.  If  deity  has  designated  any  one 
system,  no  man  has  yet  discovered  this  divine 
designation  ;  all  pretend  to  have  it,  however  much 
opposed  to  each  other,  which  is  sufficient  evidence 
that  none  has  it. 

FREE  DISCUSSION. 

The  man  not  imbued  with  superstitions,  and 
who  entertains  a  sincere  desire  to  promote  the 
happiness  of  the  human  race,  will  readily  admit, 
that  open  and  impartial  discussion  is  the  founda- 
tion of  human  liberty.  Free,  unrestrained  inquiry 
on  all  subjects,  is,  in  fact,  the  source  of  knowl- 
edge and  wisdom ;  for  how  can  we  detect  error, 


24  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

or  distinguish  truth,  if  there  is  one  topic  remain- 
ing which  we  are  not  to  investigate  ?  We  may  ex- 
patiate for  centuries  on  the  advantages  attending 
correct  views  and  correct  principles ;  but  if  those 
systems  which  brutalize  the  mind,  which  proscribe 
the  use  of  reason,  and  which  hold  mankind  under 
the  dominion  of  a  vile  superstition,  are  not  to  be 
probed  to  the  bottom,  and  exhibited  in  all  their 
deformity,  the  most  powerful  eloquence,  the  most 
transcendent  reasoning  in  the  world  (though  of 
weight  in  their  proper  place)  will  be  utterly  use- 
less. To  convince  man  that  happiness  is  attaina- 
ble, it  is  not  enough  that  he  know  this.  The 
causes  which  deprive  him  of  it,  the  sources  of  his 
misery,  must  be  clearly  and  distinctly  pointed  out ; 
otherwise,  he  will  remain  all  his  lifetime  a  child  of 
sorrow  and  misfortune.  Ignorant  of  the  nature 
of  the  evils  which  beset  him,  he  will  continue  the 
dupe  of  the  crafty  and  designing,  whose  sole 
object  it  is  to  darken  the  understanding,  that  they 
may  perpetuate  their  inordinate  power  and  influ- 
ence. 

I 

THE   TRIUMPH   OF   LEARNING. 

Mind  constitutes  the  majesty  of  man ;  virtue,  his 
true  nobility.  The  tide  of  improvement  which  is 
now  flowing  through  the  lf,nd,  like  another  Niag- 
ara, is  destined  to  roll  on  downward  to  the  latest 
posterity ;  and  it  will  bear  them  on  its  bosom,  our 
virtues,  our  vices,  our  glory,  or  our  shame,  or 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  25 

whatever  else  we  may  transmit  as  an  inheritance. 
It,  then,  in  a  great  measure,  depends  upon  the 
present,  whether  the  moth  of  immorality,  of  igno- 
rance, and  the  vampire  of  luxury  shall  prove  the 
overthrow  of  the  republic,  or  knowledge  and 
virtue,  like  pillars,  shall  support  her  against  the 
whirlwind  of  war,  ambition,  corruption,  and  the 
remorseless  tooth  of  time.  Give  your  children 
fortune  without  education,  and  at  least  half  the 
number  will  go  down  to  the  tomb  of  oblivion  — 
perhaps  to  ruin.  Give  them  education,  and  they 
will  accumulate  fortunes ;  they  will  be  a  fortune 
to  themselves  and  their  country.  It  is  an  inheri- 
tance worth  more  than  gold,  for  it  buys  true  honor. 
It  can  never  be  lost  or  spent,  and  through  life  it 
proves  a  friend ;  in  death,  a  consolation.  Give 
your  children  education,  and  no  tyrant  will  tram- 
ple over  your  liberties.  Give  your  children  edu- 
cation, and  the  silver-shod  horse  of  the  despot  will 
never  trample  in  ruins  the  fabric  of  your  freedom. 


HINTS   TO  HERETICS. 

Be  courageous.  Dare  to  be  honest,  just,  mag- 
nanimous, true  to  your  country,  to  yourselves,  to 
the  world.  Dare  to  do  to  others  as  you  would 
have  them  do  to  you.  Most  men  are  cowards. 
They  are  afraid  to  speak  and  to  act  when  duty 
calls,  and  as  duty  requires.  Few  men  will  suffer 
themselves  to  be  called  cowards ;  and  yet  they 


26  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

betray  their  cowardice  by  the  very  course  they 
take  to  resent  the  insult.  A  man  may  intrepidly 
face  the  cannon's  mouth,  and  be  an  arrant  coward 
after  all. 

There  is  a  higher,  a  nobler  courage,  than  was 
ever  displayed  in  the  heat  of  battle,  or  on  the 
field  of  carnage.  There  is  a  moral  courage,  which 
enables  a  man  to  triumph  over  foes  more  formida- 
ble than  were  ever  marshalled  by  any  Caesar.  A 
courage  which  impels  him  to  do  his  duty,  to  hold 
fast  his  integrity,  to  maintain  a  conscience  void  of 
offence,  at  every  hazard  and  sacrifice,  in  defiance 
of  the  world.  Such  is  the  courage  that  sustains 
every  good  man,  amidst  the  temptations,  allure- 
ments, honors,  conflicts,  opposition,  ridicule,  malice, 
cruelty,  or  persecution,  which  beset  and  threaten 
him  at  every  stage  of  his  progress  through  life. 

THE  THEATRE. 

One  of  the  most  odious  features  of  the  Chris- 
tian superstition  is  persecution  ;  and  one  of  the 
most  reprehensible  of  its  acts  of  continued  ven- 
geance is  its  persecution  of  the  THEATRE.  From 
time  immemorial  it  has  been  at  deadly  war  with 
it.  At  one  time  in  the  reign  of  the  "Round- 
heads," in  the  days  of  Oliver  Cromwell,  than 
whom  a  more  profound  and  painted  hypocrite 
never  lived,  the  stage  was  entirely  suppressed ; 
and  if  any  one  would  enjoy  a  theatrical  piece,  he 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  27 

had  to  do  it  at  his  private  house,  at  his  own 
expense  or  that  of  his  friends.  Actors  were  as 
good  as  proscribed  and  banished  England.  The 
labors  of  eminent  men,  and  even  the  works  of  the 
immortal  Shakespeare,  were  suffered  to  lie  among 
the  rubbish  of  musty  libraries,  while  the  efforts 
of  drivelling  sermonizers  and  poetasters  were  read, 
rehearsed,  and  listened  to,  with  avidity.  We  are 
not  about  to  write  an  eulogy  upon  the  stage,  but 
we  reprobate  that  poor,  miserable,  contracted 
spirit,  which  tries  to  drive  people  into  an  absurd 
superstition  by  excluding  them  from  every  species 
of  amusement  and  innocent  pastime,  and  by  con- 
fining them  eternally  to  the  noise,  confusion,  rant 
and  nonsense  of  a  conventicle.  But  this  is  the 
only  way  that  religionists  can  succeed. 

This  much,  however,  we  will  say  in  behalf  of 
the  stage,  and  we  challenge  any  one  of  intelli- 
gence and  truth  to  deny  its  verity.  The  stage  has 
ever  preceded  and  accompanied  refinement  in 
manners,  purity  of  taste,  and  a  revival  of  litera- 
ture and  of  the  arts  and  sciences.  Its  most  splen- 
did triumphs  have  been  in  the  presence  of  the 
most  enlightened  and  freest  governments.  Ty- 
rants of  all  kinds  have  been  the  first  to  fear  and 
denounce  the  stage,  unless  indeed  they  could  pros- 
titute it  to  their  interests.  Some  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished men,  men  of  the  greatest  rarity  and 
most  masterly  talents,  and  men  of  sterling  princi- 


28  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

pies  too,  have  written  for  it  and  considered  their 
success,  as  it  truly  was,  the  pledge  of  their  immor- 
tal fame.  Mankind  require  amusement,  relaxation 
and  easy  excitement  of  mind  and  feeling,  and  in 
some  way  or  other  they  will  have  them ;  and  the 
theatre  in  all  large  cities  and  towns  present  them 
on  a  large  and  rational  scale,  and  cheaper  than  they 
can  be  obtained  in  any  other  way.  When  it  is 
encouraged  by  the  wise  and  good,  it  is  raised  up 
to  a  pure  atmosphere,  and,  as  a  mirror,  becomes 
bright,  while  left  to  the  dregs  of  society,  it  becomes 
obscene  by  the  polluted  breath  breathed  upon  it, 
proving,  incontestibly,  that  like  all  other  great 
vehicles  of  instruction,  it  is  merely  passive,  ever 
a  source  of  pleasure  and  of  moral  and  intellectual 
profit  as  it  is  employed. 

WHO  IS  AN  ATHEIST? 

Men  tremble  at  the  very  name  of  an  atheist. 
But  who  is  an  atheist?  The  man  who  brings  man- 
kind back  to  reason  and  experience,  by  destroying 
prejudices  inimical  to  their  happiness;  who  has 
no  need  of  resorting  to  supernatural  powers  in 
explaining  the  phenomena  of  nature. 

It  is  madness,  say  the  theologians,  to  suppose 
incomprehensible  motives  in  nature.  Is  it  mad- 
ness to  prefer  the  known  to  the  unknown  ?  to 
consult  experience  and  the  evidence  of  our  senses  ? 
to  address  ourselves  to  reason,  and  prefer  her 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  29 

oracles  to  the  decision  of  sophists  who  even  con- 
fess themselves  ignorant  of  the  God  they  an- 
nounce ? 

When  we  see  priests  so  angry  with  atheistical 
opinions,  should  we  not  suspect  the  justice  of  their 
cause  ?  Spiritual  tyrants  !  'tis  ye  who  have  de- 
famed the  divinity  by  besmearing  him  with  the 
blood  of  the  wretched  !  You  are  the  truly  im- 
pious !  Impiety  consists  in  insulting  the  God  in 
whom  it  believes.  He  \vho  does  not  believe  in  a 
God  cannot  injure  him,  and  cannot  of  course  be 
impious. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  piety  consists  in  serving 
our  country,  in  being  useful  to  our  fellow-crea- 
tures, and  in  observing  the  laws  of  nature,  an 
atheist  is  pious,  honest,  and  virtuous  when  his  con- 
duct is  regulated  by  the  laws  which  reason  and 
virtue  prescribe  to  him. 

It  is  true,  the  number  of  atheists  is  incon- 
siderable, because  enthusiasm  has  dazzled  the 
human  mind,  and  the  progress  of  error  has  been 
so  great  that  few  men  have  courage  to  search  for 
truth.  If  by  atheists  are  meant  those  who,  guided 
by  experience  and  the  evidences  of  their  senses, 
see  nothing  in  nature  but  what  really  exists;  if 
by  atheists  are  meant  natural  philosophers,  who 
think  everything  may  be  accounted  for  by  the  laws 
of  motion,  without  having  recourse  to  a  chimeri- 
cal power ;  if  by  atheists  are  meant  those  who 
know  not  what  a  spirit  is,  and  who  reject  a  phan- 


30  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

torn,  whose  opposite  qualities  only  disturb  man- 
kind, —  doubtless  there  are  many  atheists  ;  and 
their  number  would  be  greater,  were  the  knowl- 
edge of  physics  and  sound  reason  more  generally 
disseminated. 

An  atheist  does  not  believe  in  the  existence  of 
a  God.  No  man  can  be  certain  of  the  existence 
of  an  inconceivable  being,  in  whom  inconsistent 
qualities  are  said  to  be  united.  In  this  sense 
many  theologians  would  be  atheists,  as  well  as 
those  credulous  beings  who  prostrate  themselves 
before  a  being  of  whom  they  have  no  other  idea 
than  that  given  them  by  men,  avowedly  compre- 
hending nothing  of  him  themselves. 

TEMPERANCE. 

As  the  habit  of  drinking  ardent  spirits  is  injuri- 
ous to  the  human  constitution,  and  as  the  man 
who  indulges  in  it  runs  great  risk  of  becoming 
sooner  or  later  a  confirmed  inebriate,  since  mod- 
erate drinking  is  the  downhill  road  to  intemper- 
ance, we  would  sincerely  caution  every  one  who 
has  not  yet  contracted  the  habit,  to  be  on  his 
guard  against  it,  and  would  earnestly  advise  every 
one  who  is  indulging  in  drink  as  a  beverage,  to 
abstain  from  it  altogether.  We  have  not  a  word 
to  say  in  disparagement  of  the  men  who  drink. 
They  are  often  found  among  the  best  men  in  the 
community;  and,  knowing  this  fact,  and  feeling 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  31 

sorry  to  see  them  injuring  themselves  by  a  hurtful 
habit,  we  throw  out  our  caution  and  advice  as  a 
matter  of  duty. 

We  are  well  aware,  however,  that  mere  advice 
and  caution  are  not  enough  to  prevent  intemper- 
ance to  any  great  extent.  Something  more  is 
needed,  and  when  that  is  found  out,  we  shall 
make  a  great  deal  more  progress  in  suppressing 
the  evil  than  we  now  do.  Notwithstanding  all 
that  has  been  written  and  said  upon  the  subject 
of  intemperance,  we  have  an  idea  that  the  philoso- 
phy of  the  habit  is  but  very  little  understood 
even  yet  —  we  mean  by  this,  the  causes  that  make 
intemperance,  and  the  means  to  remove  it.  In- 
temperance, as  a  general  thing,  being  an  artificial 
or  an  acquired  habit,  it  would  seem  as  if  the  right 
understanding  of  the  laws  of  our  nature  would 
suggest  a  natural,  harmless  and  effectual  preven- 
tative. 

But  how  will  you  prevent  intemperance? 
Probably  the  answer  that  we  should  give  to  this 
question  would  satisfy  but  a  small  part  of  the 
community ;  in  fact,  most  of  the  people  might 
look  upon  our  remedy  as  worse  than  the  disease, 
so  much  are  people  governed  by  prejudice,  and 
opposed  to  innovation.  Yet  we  shall  venture  to 
throw  out  a  few  hints,  in  the  hope  that  they  may 
reach  some  liberal  and  common-sense  minds  quali- 
fied to  judge,  and  not  afraid  to  avow  publicly  their 
convictions 


32  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

Our  plan  would  be  to  regenerate  the  people  — 
teach  them  habits  of  temperance  —  provide  them 
roomy  dwelling-houses,  and  plenty  of  water  ;  open 
up  for  them  on  Sunday,  their  most  drunken  day, 
every  available  means  of  rational  enjoyment; 
give  them  every  facility  for  innocent  amusement 
and  recreation  ;  let  them  have  free  access  to  muse- 
ums, exhibitions  of  the  fine  arts,  reading-rooms, 
arid  every  other  conceivable  means  of  innocently 
and  rationally  passing  their  time.  Here  is  the 
answer  to  the  question,  "How  will  you  prevent 
intemperance?"  —  Provide  a  substitute  for  the  bar- 
room. 

INDIVIDUAL  EFFORT. 

How  little  there  is  existing  in  society  of  what 
can  be  truly  called  individual  effort !  How  rare 
the  instance  of  a  man  depending  solely  on  the  in- 
fluence of  his  own  merit  or  moral  worth,  to  insure 
success  or  preferment!  But  perhaps  this  de- 
ficiency of  character  nowhere  appears  so  strongly 
marked  as  in  the  conduct  which  governs  many  in 
their  social  intercourse.  We  there  see  the  young 
man,  —  who  ought  of  all  others  to  rely  on  his 
own  desert  alone  for  promotion  and  reward,  — 
manifesting  a  desire  to  advance  by  the  meritorious 
deeds  of  others. 

The  patriotic  services  or  great  possessions  of  a 
father,  for  example,  are  ofttimes  considered  by 
the  son  as  entitling  him  to  acceptance  and  re- 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  33 

nown,  as  if  he  had  a  right  to  wear  the  laurels  that 
value  or  industry  alone  has  gained  for  another. 
It  is  his  duty,  and  should  be  his  pride,  to  preserve 
and  defend  those  laurels  from  blight  and  asper- 
sion ;  but  it  is  sacrilegious  in  the  extreme,  to  rob 
the  dead  of  honors  they  bore  while  living.  Rather 
let  the  son  be  the  artificer  of  his  own  fortune. 
Let  him  carve  out  his  own  way,  dependent  only 
on  his  own  exertions,  and  trusting  only  to  them 
for  what  the  future  may  make  him.  Then,  when 
success  has  perfected  what  real  merit  began,  he 
can  rest  his  claims  for  admiration  and  applause, 
on  a  basis  sure  and  permanent,  and  one  on  which 
diligence  and  worth  will  have  raised  a  superstruc- 
ture honorable  to  his  memory. 

"  What  merit  to  be  dropped  on  fortune's  hill  ? 
The  honor  is  to  mount  it." 


HEAVEN    AND   HELL. 

What  evidence  is  there  of  the  existence  of  these 
places,  in  the  view  in  which  professing  Christians 
generally,  take  of  them  ?  We  never  could  find 
any :  and  one  sect,  at  least,  the  Universalists,  ap- 
pear to  have  been  quite  as  unsuccessful  as  regards 
the  latter  place,  as  ourselves.  They  have  long 
since  exploded  the  idea  of  any  such  place  as  hell. 
But  would  they  not  find  it  just  as  difficult  to 
prove  any  such  place  as  heaven  ?  People  have  no 
more  come  back  to  tell  us  anything  about  heaven, 


34  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

than  they  have  to  tell  us  about  hell.  We  may 
say  that  people  have  dreamed  about  it ;  so  they 
have  dreamed  about  the  other  place  just  as  much. 
The  only  idea,  therefore,  that  we  can  form 
either  of  heaven  or  hell,  exists  in  the  mind,  and 
there  only  —  it  is  a  state,  and  not  a  place  —  that 
such  is  the  fact,  is  obvious  from  daily  experience 
and  common  observation ;  and  let  theologians 
mystify  and  speculate  as  they  will,  the  true  doc- 
trine is  simply  this :  Happiness  is  Heaven  ;  and  the 
misery  which  arises  from  guilt  is  Hell. 

KELIGIOUS   DESPOTISMS. 

It  appears  that  the  constitutions  of  antiquity 
were  as  inimical  to  religious  freedom  as  modern 
governments,  and  that  conformity  of  opinion  has 
at  no  time  been  obtained  except  by  the  terror  of 
penal  statutes. 

An  absolute  freedom  in  discussing  religion,  has 
never  yet  existed  in  any  age  or  country.  The  re- 
ligion of  Athens  was  interwoven  with  its  consti- 
tution, and  neither  genius,  learning,  courage, 
nor  the  softer  virtues,  uncombined  with  the  super- 
stition of  the  age,  could  screen  their  possessors 
from  the  persecutions  of  an  implacable  priesthood. 
Among  the  Romans,  too,  it  was  toleration,  not 
freedom. 

It  was  in  vain,  however  that  those  mighty 
authorities  endeavored  to  fetter  the  transmission 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  35 

of  thought,  and  to  fix  the  opinions  of  the  human 
race.  Man,  though  individually  confined  to  a 
narrow  spot,  and  limited  in  his  existence  to  a  few 
courses  of  the  sun,  has,  nevertheless  an  imagina- 
tion which  ranges  into  the  infinities  of  space,  and 
the  ever-rolling  current  of  ages.  The  petty  legis- 
lators of  the  hour  issue  their  mandates  that  a 
boundary  shall  be  drawn  around  the  energy  of 
mind,  —  "  Thus  far  shalt  thou  go,  but  no  farther." 
Such  is  the  fiat,  but  it  is  as  useless  as  that  which 
would  restrain  the  waves  of  the  ocean.  Time, 
that  successfully  consigns  to  oblivion  the  ever- 
changing  governments  and  religions  of  men,  and 
which  now  sits  upon  the  ruins  of  despotic  Greece 
and  Rome,  —  their  temples  despoiled  of  their  dei- 
ties and  crumbled  into  dust, — will  as  surely  de- 
stroy the  sacred  despotisms  that  have  tyrannized 
over  mankind,  now  too  long,  under  the  symbols 
of  the  crescent  and  the  cross. 


CONSCIENCE. 

Conscience  is  no  more  than  the  effect  of  reason- 
ing or  passing  ideas,  either  upon  past  scenes  or 
upon  present  appearances.  It  is  thus,  when  the 
ideas  are  caused  by  the  recollection  of  past  actions, 
that  our  sense  of  right  and  wrong,  our  reason  or 
conscience,  either  acquits  or  condemns  it.  It  is  a 
reasoning  on  the  ideas  then  present ;  and  it  is  the 
same  thing,  the  same  process,  whether  it  be  an 


36  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

action  of  our  own,  or  that  of  another,  oil  the  prob- 
ability or  improbability  of  what  we  are  told  being 
true ;  or  on  the  causes  of  the  effect  we  see  sur- 
rounding us. 

Many  men  will  pass  through  life  without  ever 
making  any  use  of  their  reason,  beyond  the  best 
method  of  getting  money  and  how  to  enjoy  it, 
leaving  all  the  rest  unknown  or  unheeded. 

Others  think  it  is  enough  to  do  as  they  are 
ordered,  and  believe  in  religion  only  because  the 
priests  require  it.  But  it  is  a  different,  a  widely 
different  case,  with  the  philosophizing  part  of 
mankind  ;  they  reason  on  every  subject  that  sends 
an  idea  to  the  mind,  they  are  continually  seeking 
after  truth,  and  exposing  falsehood;  obtaining 
knowledge  that  therewith  they  may  better  the 
condition  of  themselves  and  their  fellow-men; 
protecting  and  teaching  the  practice  of  morality, 
as  the  only  method  calculated  to  make  men  free 
and  happy,  and  exposing  the  errors  of  religion  as 
being  the  most  hostile  to  their  welfare  and  im- 
provement. 

TO  ADVOCATE  UNWELCOME  TRUTHS  NO  EASY  TASK. 

It  is  far  easier  to  swim  with  the  tide  of  popular 
approbation,  and  to  "echo  the  million"  than  to 
stand  forth  as  a  solitary  unit,  and  advocate  an 
opinion  unwelcome  in  its  aspect  to  the  general 
corruption  of  popular  sentiment.  It  is  less  diffi- 
cult "to  fall  heirs  to  our  opinions, "  and  to  defend 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  37 

them  as  people  do  their  estates,  by  right  of  inheri- 
tance, than  to  institute  an  inquiry,  examine  their 
character,  and,  according  as  that  inquiry  and  ex- 
amination may  direct  us,  to  reject  or  adopt  them 
with  an  honest  yet  fearless  discrimination. 

AGITATION. 

There  is  a  large  class  of  people  in  the  commun- 
ity who  always  oppose  the  agitation  of  any  new 
question  or  doctrine.  They  are  sure  that  some 
terrible  calamity  will  follow  the  advent  of  a  newly 
established  measure  in  social  or  political  govern- 
ment. They  view  a  new  doctrine  with  fear  and 
distrust. 

Who  are  these  non-agitators?  We  shall  find 
them  the  least  enterprising  and  the  least  useful 
folks  in  the  world.  If  their  fathers  believed  in 
witches,  hell-fire,  and  cloven  feet,  ten  to  one, 
those  people  who  are  afraid  of  agitation,  believe 
in  the  same  dogmas  and  follies.  They  are  con- 
tent to  be  governed  by  the  same  laws,  satisfied 
with  the  same  station  in  life,  and  thankful  for  as 
much  liberty  as  their  ancestors  enjoyed,  without 
asking  any  questions  or  causing  any  agitation. 
They  enjoy  life  in  the  same  way  that  an  alligator 
enjoys  a  cold  winter,  by  virtue  of  pure  stupidity. 

The  fact  is,  we  owe  every  improvement  of  the 
age,  every  advance  in  science,  government,  and 
art,  to  agitation.  It  lies  at  the  foundation  of  all 


38  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

human  good.  Revolutions  and  republics  trace 
their  origin  to  this  source ;  liberty  of  thought  and 
of  speech  are  greatly  its  debtor,  and  freedom  of 
conscience  was  established  through  its  influence. 
We  have  nothing  to  fear  from  agitation,  but  every- 
thing to  fear  from  stagnation.  The  former  denotes 
intellectual  life :  the  latter,  mental  death.  If  re- 
publicanism ever  becomes  degenerated  in  America, 
it  will  ensue  from  stagnation  in  the  public  mind, 
brought  on  by  selfishness  and  luxury.  It  is  of 
the  utmost  importance,  then,  that  exciting  topics 
of  public  interest  be  constantly  kept  in  view,  and 
discussed,  not  only  in  regard  to  our  own  country, 
but  also  of  other  nations. 

The  interest  of  Americans  in  the  affairs  of 
Europe  is  increasing  every  day,  and  this  interest, 
through  agitation,  will  soon  be  felt  and  appreci- 
ciated  by  the  masses  of  the  Europeans,  who  will 
the  sooner  strike  for  their  liberties.  Keep  up 
agitation.  It  is  the  watchword  of  freedom. 
Keep  it  up. 

OPINIONS. 

In  no  case  can  man  be  justly  rewarded  or  pun- 
ished for  his  opinions ;  they  originate  not  in  the 
will,  but  in  the  understanding  :  they  are  involun- 
tary and  not  criminal.  When  the  mind  perceives  a 
sufficient  reason  or  cause  for  believing  a  proposi- 
tion, it  is  evident  it  must  believe  it;  it  would  be 
absurd  to  say  one  had  seen  a  sufficient  reason  for 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  39 

believing  a  statement  and  could  not  believe  it ;  on 
the  other  hand,  when  the  mind  perceives  a  reason 
or  cause  for  believing  a  proposition  untrue,  the 
mind  must  believe  it  untrue  because  it  has  seen  a 
sufficient  reason  for  it. 

The  truth  of  these  observations  is  evident  from 
the  absurdity  that  would  follow  the  contrary  sup- 
position, which  would  be  to  admit  that  the  mind 
was  capable  of  perceiving  a  proposition  to  be 
false,  while  at  the  same  time  it  concluded  it  to  be 
true  ;  or  of  disbelieving  what  it  had  reason  to  be- 
lieve. Here  it  is  evident  that  belief  of  any  kind, 
or  unbelief  of  any  kind,  does  not  imply  moral 
guilt.  We  must  believe  what  our  judgment  tells 
us  is  true,  disbelieve  what  our  judgment  tells  us 
is  untrue,  and  doubt  what  our  judgment  has  not 
perceived  sufficient  reason  for  believing  to  be 
either  true  or  false. 

There  is  no  crime  without  a  breach  of  some 
moral  law ;  but  here  there  is  no  breach  of  any 
moral  law,  but  the  fulfilment  of  an  imperious  law 
of  nature,  which  impels  us  to  disbelieve  what  we 
do  not  see  reason  for  believing. 

EXAGGERATION. 

If  there  be  any  habit  that  is  universal  among 
mankind,  it  is  that  of  coloring  too  highly  the 
things  that  we  describe.  We  cannot  be  content 
with  a  simple  relation  of  truth  ;  we  must  exagger- 


40  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

ate,  we  must  have  "a  little  too  much  red  in  the 
brush."  Whoever  heard  of  a  dark  night  that  was 
not  "pitch  dark,"  of  a  strong  man  that  was  not 
as  "strong  as  a  horse,"  or  a  miry  road  that  was 
not  "  up  to  the  knee "  ?  We  would  walk  fifty 
miles  on  foot  to  see  the  man  who  never  caricatures 
a  subject  on  which  he  speaks.  But  where  is  such 
a  man  to  be  found  ?  "  From  rosy  morn  to  dewy 
eve,"  in  our  conversation  we  are  constantly  out- 
raging truth.  If  somewhat  wakeful  in  the  night, 
"  we  scarcely  had  a  wink  of  sleep  "  ;  if  our  sleeves 
get  a  little  damp  in  a  shower,  "  we  are  as  wet  as  if 
dragged  through  a  brook  " ;  if  a  breeze  blows  up 
while  we  are  in  the  harbor,  the  waves  are  sure  to 
"  run  mountains  high  "  ;  and  if  a  man  grows  rich, 
we  all  say,  "he  rolls  in  money."  No  later  than 
yesterday,  a  friend,  who  would  shrink  from  wilful 
misrepresentation,  told  us  hastily  as  he  passed, 
that  the  "  newspaper  had  nothing  in  it  but  adver- 
tisements." 

THE   QUESTION. 

The  question  to  decide  is,  Are  we  really  to  be  a 
republic,  actually  a  free  people,  —  free  as  Nature, 
—  free  to  reason,  —  free  to  speak  the  truth?  Is 
there  to  be  a  nation  on  the  earth  where  the  rights 
of  humanity  can  truly  be  enjoyed?  where  a  Soc- 
rates, who  exposed  the  tyrannical  shackles  imposed 
by  the  effect  of  the  vulgarly  established  religious 
prejudices,  would  not  be  subjected  to  religious 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  41 

murder?  Are  Americans  to  be  a  free,  intelligent, 
moral,  and  philosophic  people,  or  are  they  to  be 
merely  a  Christian  people,  to  continue  always 
under  the  bonds  of  the  Christian  superstition? 
Is  the  country  always  to  continue  a  mere  Christ- 
ian hierarchy,  made  to  answer  the  ends  of  a  set  of 
Christian  priests  ?  Is  belief  in  future  rewards 
and  punishments  to  be  sustained  as  law  ?  Is  the 
abominable  Christian  test  oath  to  be  continued  a 
sine  qua  non  for  obtaining  civil  justice  ?  and  are 
conscientious  men,  who  vindicate  the  truth  of 
everlasting  nature,  to  be  none  but  outlaws?  Let 
the  question  be  answered. 

THE   PRESENT   AGE. 

The  influence  of  a  more  rational  education  is 
beginning  to  be  felt ;  the  darkness  of  superstition 
and  bigotry,  which  has  so  long  shrouded  the  minds 
of  men,  is  gradually  wearing  away ;  enlightenment 
is  constantly  augmenting,  and  knowledge  is  des- 
tined at  no  very  distant  day  "  to  cover  the  earth 
as  the  waters  cover  the  channel  of  the  great  deep." 
Yet  there  are  those  who,  instead  of  rejoicing,  seem 
to  mourn  at  these  things  —  these  cheering  symp- 
toms which  speak  to  us  of  a  brighter  day.  Surely 
that  man's  greatness  cannot  be  founded  on  true 
and  just  principles  which  cannot  stand  the  light 
of  knowledge  and  the  careful  investigation  of 
intelligent  minds. 


42  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

Educate  the  people,  and  you  subvert  tyranny. 
The  people  are  the  source  of  all  political  and  social 
power,  and  if  to  this  be  added  the  power  which 
knowledge  can  confer,  who  or  what  will  be  able  to 
withstand  them? 

The  present  age  is  one  big  with  important 
events,  and  the  state  of  that  man's  mind  is  not 
to  be  envied  who  can  view  with  cool  and  careless 
indifference  the  changing  circumstances  of  the 
present  day.  And  yet  many  sneer  at  the  social 
and  political  struggles  of  the  poor  man,  who  im- 
agine that  he  might  be  better  occupied  in  attend- 
ing to  his  daily  labor,  than  in  examining  into  and 
meddling  with  the  affairs  of  state  and  societ^y. 
But  surely  every  man  who  is  governed  has  a  right 
to  know  how  he  is  governed ;  and  it  must  certainly 
be  a  government  of  very  doubtful  character  which 
cannot  admit  of  the  examination  of  any  of  its  sub- 
jects. All  forms  of  political  and  social  adminis- 
tration should  progress  with  the  progressing  times, 
and  a  law  which  has  governed  a  community  in  the 
days  of  its  comparative  ignorance  cannot,  without 
danger,  be  enforced  when  that  community  has 
attained  to  anything  like  social  and  moral  emi- 
nence. 

Has  the  American  nation  made  such  an  ad- 
vancement? And  if  so,  has  the  American  gov- 
ernment advanced  in  a  proportionate  degree  ?  It 
remains  for  the  American  people  themselves  to 
answer  these  questions  !  If  legislation  be  oppres- 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  43 

sive,  if  there  be  corruptions  that  might  be  eradi- 
cated, if  there  be  new  and  better  laws  that  might 
be  framed,  let  not  the  people  cease  their  struggles 
till  error  be  vanquished  and  truth  triumphant. 
They  may  be  opposed,  and  they  will  be  opposed, 
for  the  hand  of  the  oppressor  is  never  weary,  but 
if  they  stand  firmly  and  combat  bravely,  the  de- 
sired end  will  ultimately  be  gained.  The  words 
of  Byron,  — 

"  Methinks  I  hear  a  little  bird  that  sings 
The  people  bye  and  bye  will  be  the  stronger"  — 

are  fast  fulfilling  like  a  prophecy ;  and  we  most 
sincerely  bid  lightning  speed  to  every  effort  that 
is  made  to  advance  the  important  cause  of  social 
and  political  liberty. 

THOMAS   PAINE. 

Thomas  Paine  was  a  great  apostle  of  liberty ;  a 
bold  and  fearless  enemy  of  kings  and  princes ;  a 
sterling,  uncompromising,  unflinching  advocate  of 
the  rights  of  man,  and  one  of  the  master-spirits 
of  the  American  Revolution. 

It  may  be  reasonably  doubted  whether  our 
Revolution  could  have  succeeded,  at  that  particu- 
lar time,  had  the  pen  of  Thomas  Paine  taken  no 
part  in  the  contest ;  had  he  not  have  written 
"  Common  Sense  "  to  bring  on  the  war,  and  the 
various  numbers  of  the  "Crisis"  to  push  it 


44  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

through  to  a  glorious   and  triumphant  termina- 
tion. 

Priestcraft  has  almost  entirely  destroyed  the 
reputation  of  this  great  patriot ;  and  we  may 
learn  from  this  fact  the  exceeding  virulence  of  the 
enemy  with  which  we  contend.  Had  Thomas 
Paine  never  written  against  priestcraft,  a  national 
monument  would  probably  have  been  erected  to 
his  memory,  and  we  tremble  for  the  safety  of  the 
republic  when  we  think  of  the  success  of  the 
clergy's  endeavors  to  extinguish  the  fame  of  this 
celebrated  man.  When  we  forget  the  men  who 
gave  us  our  liberty,  we  shall  soon  forget  that 
priestcraft  and  kingcraft  are  the  enemies  of  lib- 
erty, and  so  we  shall  become  a  willing  prey. 
Shall  it  be  said  that  the  friends  and  martyrs  of 
liberty  must  be  sacrificed  in  this  country  to  dig- 
nify a  parson's  discourse  ?  Forbid  it,  justice  ! 
Forbid  it,  all  ye  who  claim  the  proud  title  of 
American  citizen ! 

SELF-EESPECT. 

One  of  the  strongest  and  most  prevalent  incen- 
tives to  virtue  is  the  desire  of  the  world's  esteem. 
We  act  right,  rather  that  our  actions  may  be 
applauded  by  others,  than  to  have  the  approba- 
tion of  our  own  conscience.  We  refrain  from 
doing  wrong  not  so  much  from  principle,  as  from 
the  fear  of  incurring  the  censure  of  the  world. 
A  due  regard  ought,  indeed,  to  be  paid  to  public 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  45 

opinion,  but  there  is  a  regard  we  owe  ourselves, 
of  far  greater  importance,  a  regard  which  keeps 
us  from  committing  a  wrong  action  when  with- 
drawn from  the  observation  of  the  world,  as  much 
as  when  exposed  to  its  broad  glare.  If  we  are  as 
good  as  others,  why  stand  in  more  fear  of  others 
than  of  ourselves  ?  What  is  there  in  other  men 
that  makes  us  desire  their  approbation,  and  fear 
their  censure,  more  than  our  own  ?  In  other 
respects  we  are  apt  to  overrate  ourselves,  but 
surely  when  we  pay  such  blind  and  servile  respect 
to  the  opinions  of  others,  we  forget  our  own 
dignity,  and  undervalue  ourselves  in  our  own 
esteem.  We  admire  the  sentiment  of  Cassius 
when,  speaking  of  the  imperial  Ceesar,  he  exclaims : 

"  I  had  as  lief  not  be,  as  live  to  be 
In  awe  of  such  a  thing  as  I  myself." 

The  great  slight  the  men  of  sense  who  have 
nothing  but  sense ;  the  men  of  sense  despise  the 
great,  who  have  nothing  but  greatness ;  and  the 
honest  man  pities  them  both,  if,  having  greatness 
or  sense  only,  they  have  no  virtue. 

SECTARIANISM. 

There  is  a  powerful  influence  at  work,  which 
acts  like  an  electrical  element  of  discord,  repel- 
ling with  fiery  vehemence  the  efforts  of  philan- 
thropists and  reformers.  It  is  sectarianism,  and  it 
produces  a  state  of  things  which  brings  dishonor 


46  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

on  the  country.  It  wastes  in  paltry  contests  the 
mental  energy  that  should  be  applied  in  improv- 
ing the  moral,  intellectual,  and  social  condition  of 
the  people  ;  it  stifles  their  emotions  of  benevolence 
and  justice  ;  consumes  their  substance  in  building 
chapels  and  salarying  priests;  and,  worst  of  all, 
it  renders  them  moral  cowards  ;  for  so  intense  and 
active  is  sectarian  hostility,  and  so  vindictive  is  its 
spirit,  that  thousands  who  see  and  deplore  these 
evils  are  deterred  from  attempting  to  remove 
them. 

They  occasion  more  evil  still.  They  prevent 
the  development  of  the  national  mind.  In  our 
universities  and  schools  they  direct  and  control 
and  cramp  the  aspirations  of  the  student.  The 
catechism  and  confession  of  faith  are  thrust  be- 
tween him  and  external  creation ;  he  must  draw 
his  theology  from  them  ;  and  small  encouragement 
is  given  to  him  to  gather  truths  from  the  magnifi- 
cent stores  of  Nature.  The  standards  of  the 
church  and  they  chiefly,  must  constitute  his  relig- 
ious and  moral  belief;  if  he  acquires  any  other 
doctrines,  it  must  be  at  his  peril  and  by  stealth. 
In  short,  the  teaching  of  Nature  is  nearly  un- 
known ;  nay,  it  is  frowned  upon,  is  stigmatized  as 
"  Infidel,"  and  the  catechism  is  thrust  into  the 
reluctant  hands  of  the  teacher,  to  be  taught  in  its 
place. 

There  are  two  questions,  wholly  distinct,  which 
here  suggest  themselves. 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  47 

The  first  one  is  of  a  religious  nature  —  "  What 
shall  I  do  to  be  saved?"  This,  every  man  is  at 
liberty,  in  the  exercise  of  an  unquestionable 
right,  to  judge  of,  and  answer  for  himself. 

Whether  it  is  a  momentous  subject  or  not,  no 
one  has  the  prerogative  to  dictate  to  another  what 
he  shall  believe  in  regard  to  it ;  and  the  sect  that 
thus  intrudes  itself  between  a  man  and  his  con- 
science is  meddling  with  what  it  has  no  concern. 

The  other  question,  which  is  the  Grreat  Question, 
is :  "  What  shall  we  do  to  provide  wholesome  food, 
comfortable  raiment,  pleasant  dwellings,  and  the 
harmless  luxuries  of  life,  for  the  poor  and  indi- 
gent?" This  question,  the  question  in  fact,  of 
the  age  —  the  catechism  does  not  answer. 

Sectarianism  which  relates  wholly  to  an  unseen 
and  unknown  world,  does  little  or  nothing  for  so- 
cial elevation  and  improvement.  The  means  for 
this  great  consummation  consist  of  rational  edu- 
cation and  better  circumstances ;  when  these  are 
enjoyed  by  the  poor  and  overworked  laboring 
classes,  they  will  rise  to  the  dignity  of  intelli- 
gent beings,  and  cease  to  wage  the  hopeless  war 
of  competition  with  the  steam  engine  and  the 
horse. 

THE   WORKING  CLASS. 

If  the  working  class  had  always  been  as  en- 
lightened as  any  other  class  of  the  community,  is 
it  not  certain  that  the  institutions  of  society, 


48  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

framed  and  established  under  the  influence  of 
such  enlightenment,  would  have  been  calculated 
to  promote  their  interests  at  least,  equally  with 
the  interests  of  any  other  class  of  the  community? 

They  alone  were  the  producers  of  wealth ;  they 
were  always  superior  in  numbers ;  what  then 
could  it  be  but  want  of  intelligence  that  disabled 
them  from  demanding  the  formation  and  estab- 
lishment of  institutions  which  would  make  them 
who  were  the  only  producers,  the  proprietors  and 
enjoyers  of  at  least  as  great  a  share  of  the  pro- 
ceeds of  their  own  industry,  as  any  others  ? 

Here  then  is  the  root  of  the  evil :  those  who  con- 
trolled their  destinies  were  more  informed  than 
they.  Superior  information  gave  them  superior 
power ;  and  having  a  direct  interest  in  accumu- 
lating the  products  of  other  people's  labor,  (them- 
selves being  exempt  therefrom)  and  thus  of  sub- 
jecting the  working  classes  to  endless  toil,  they 
were  induced  and  enabled  by  such  degrees  as  each 
succeeding  state  of  society  would  admit,  to  frame 
and  establish  institutions,  the  almost  invariable 
result  of  which  is  to  render  poverty-stricken  and 
degraded  the  condition  of  the  producer,  while 
they  enrich  and  aggrandize  the  indolent  consumer. 
Here  then  we  discover  the  main  cause  of  the  deg- 
radation that  ever  has,  and  ever  will  assail  the 
workingmen,  so  long  as  they  continue  the  lament- 
able subjects  of  it,  and  one  which  nothing  can  re- 
move but  a  general  diffusion  of  knowledge  through 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  49 

the  working  class,  and  an  unreserved  dissemina- 
tion of  truth,  particularly  in  relation  to  equal 
rights  and  moral  and  political  economy. 

REFORMERS. 

One  of  the  most  common  errors  of  mankind 
(says  the  Brooklyn  Eagle)  is  the  confidence 
which  is  reposed  in  organizations  to  cherish  and 
promote  reforms.  They  look  to  the  regular 
schools  of  medicine  for  reforms  in  the  practice  of 
medicine ;  to  the  regular  schools  of  divinity  for  a 
proper  construction  of  all  questions  of  morals ; 
and  to  the  apostles  of  science  for  the  true  theories 
of  all  natural  laws.  And  yet  it  would  seem  that 
all  great  discoveries,  great  reforms,  and  great  de- 
velopments of  truth  have  been  resisted  by  the 
schools,  and  have  made  their  way  against  the 
prejudices  of  those  who  should  have  been  their 
promoters,  but  who,  blinded  by  their  interests,  or 
the  conservative  influence  of  the  schools,  have 
been  unable  to  perceive  the  truth,  and  have  stood 
like  a  rock  against  it. 

The  great  movements  of  the  world  have  gener- 
ally commenced  among  those  who  were  apparently 
the  least  calculated  to  advance  them ;  among 
those  who  were  weak  in  power  and  influence. 
The  advocates  of  political  liberty  are  not  the  pow- 
erful princes  arid  barons,  who  could,  if  they  chose, 
establish  it  at  once  and  without  struggle  or  blood- 


50  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

shed.  Christianity  began  in  the  family  of  a 
poor  mechanic  and  was  rejected  by  priests  and 
rulers  and  the  great  doctors  of  its  early  days. 
The  great  reformation  began  with  a  poor  monk, 
and  was  resisted  by  the  Church,  which  was  organ- 
ized on  purpose  to  promote  purity  in  doctrine, 
and  purity  in  morals.  The  late  reforms  under 
Wesley  and  Whitfield,  and  the  strict  notions  of 
the  reformers  were  ridiculed,  and  their  persons 
held  in  contempt  and  subjected  to  insult;  and 
the  discoverer  of  the  true  movements  of  the  heav- 
enly bodies,  the  discoverer  of  the  circulation  of  the 
blood,  and  the  discoverer  of  the  true  theory  of 
storms,  all  had  the  mortification  to  see  their  great 
ideas  rejected  by  the  world  of  science. 

Questions  of  right  cannot  be  settled,  therefore, 
by  the  ipse  dixit  of  the  schoolmen,  or  high  officers 
of  state,  or  distinguished  magnates  in  the  walks 
of  science.  Truth  is  constantly  battling  with 
error,  and  those  who  fight  against  it  the  hardest 
are  generally  its  sworn  ministers.  The  great  re- 
former of  Nazareth  was  put  to  death  by  the  or- 
thodox doctors  of  his  day,  for  his  heresies;  and 
since  his  time,  a  whole  army  of  martyrs  have  suf- 
fered for  believing  doctrines  which  in  later  times 
have  come  to  be  received  as  settled  axioms. 

These  things  teach  ns  caution  in  deciding  on 
anything  new.  The  worst  tribunal  to  which  an 
outside  truth  can  be  submitted,  is  the  regular 
school.  Your  true  schoolman  rejects  everything 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  51 

which  is  not  in  his  books,  and  frowns  on  all 
new  discoveries  which  do  not  originate  with  his 
party. 

LIBERTY. 

Liberty  is  an  old  word,  but  of  changeable  mean- 
ing. Not  many  years  ago  it  had  a  very  limited 
sense.  That  nation  was  supposed  to  possess  liberty 
that  was  uncontrolled  by  any  other.  In  1776  it 
took  a  wider  meaning,  and  implied  not  only  na- 
tional independence,  but  a  right  to  choose  our 
own  form  of  government  and  select  our  own 
rulers.  The  victory  we  gained  was  to  secure  this 
liberty  to  the  world.  This  was  a  giant  stride  in 
the  march  of  human  emancipation.  Man  seemed 
in  this  mighty  leap  to  have  outstripped  himself ; 
and  considering  what  he  had  been,  what  he  is  now 
in  most  countries,  it  is  not  strange  that  his  achieve- 
ments appeared  almost  incredible.  But,  by  a 
close  inspection,  with  the  eye  of  the  philosopher, 
of  the  philanthropist,  we  shall  easily  discover  that 
we  then  only  gained  the  starting-point,  merely 
opened  the  lists  to  human  reason  and  human  per- 
fectibility. 

Liberty  has  yet  a  wider  sense  —  one  vastly 
more  important  than  national  independence,  or 
the  right  to  choose  our  own  government  and  rulers. 
With  these,  man  is  but  half  free.  There  is  a 
more  subtile  and  a  more  powerful  tyrant  that 
lurks  within  and  enslaves  the  mind.  Religion, 


52  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

custom,  habit,  influence  of  wealth,  jof  some  adven- 
titious circumstance,  may  make  or  keep  the  many 
vassals  to  the  few.  Men  thus  circumstanced  are 
the  veriest  slaves  that  live.  There  are  no  chains 
like  those  which  fetter  the  mind.  There  must  be 
MENTAL  as  well  as  political  liberty.  The  timid 
slave  of  custom  may  be  a  vile  minion  of  power, 
and  make  his  body  a  footstool  for  the  aspiring 
demagogue  to  clamber  into  office ;  but  it  belongs 
not  to  such  as  he  to  detect,  seize,  and  secure  the 
rights  of  man.  Genuine  Republicanism  must  rest 
on  MENTAL  LIBERTY,  or  it  will  have  neither  beauty 
nor  permanence. 

MOTIVES. 

It  is  the  motive,  more  than  anything  else,  that 
renders  an  action  good  or  bad.  However  fair  the 
appearance  of  an  action  may  be,  if  the  right 
motive  be  wanting,  the  action  is  hollow ;  if  the 
motive  be  a  bad  one,  the  action  is  rotten  to  the 
core.  Who  cares  for  an  outward  seeming,  or  show 
of  affection  unless  the  heart  be  also  on  the  same 
terms  ?  Who  does  not  prize  a  rough  outside, 
when  it  covers  an  honest  inside,  more  than  the 
most  fawning  fondness  from  a  heart  that  is  cold 
and  false  ?  Thus  it  is  right  to  insist  on  the  princi- 
ples for  their  own  sake,  because  the  principles  give 
their  value  to  the  action,  not  the  action  to  the 
principles,  for  they  are  but  dross.  The  principles 
are  the  gold  on  which  is  to  be  placed  the  stamp, 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  53 

and  if  the  gold  is  not  good,  the  stamp,  though  it 
often  deceives  the  people,  gives  it  no  real  worth  ; 
as  he  who  graves  the  queen's  image  on  base  metal 
is  punished  for  his  forgery. 


VIRTUE   AND   RELIGION. 

We  have  no  idea  of  permitting  any  man,  who 
assumes  the  garb  of  piety,  to  claim,  in  conse- 
quence, any  preeminence  in  virtue.  We  prize 
truth  above  all  things,  and  it  is  quite  time  that  we 
understood  the  just  distinction  between  virtue 
and  religion. 

We  consider,  then,  that  religion  is  not  even  pre- 
sumptive evidence  of  virtue.  Religion  is  a  belief 
in  a  superintending  Providence,  who  is  swerved 
by  prayer,  and  who  yields  to  the  supplications  of 
the  penitent.  This  belief  is  compatible,  as  all 
experience  teaches,  with  great  moral  obliquity  in 
the  same  individual,  or  it  may  unite  with  great 
virtue  in  the  same  person.  Religion,  therefore, 
offers  no  proof  of  a  good  life,  but  it  is  evidence 
of  great  selfishness.  God  or  Nature  has  made  self- 
interest  the  rule  of  action  in  man ;  to  say  that  a 
man  acts  without  self-interest  is  to  say  that  he 
moves  without  a  motive  power.  The  broad,  nat- 
ural distinction,  therefore,  —  all  men  being  equally 
selfish, — between  virtue  and  vice,  that  distinc- 
tion which  is  founded  in  the  nature  of  things,  we 
take  to  be  this :  the  virtuous  man  pursues  his 


54  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

self-interest,  his  self-gratification,  so  as  never  to 
invade  the  rights  of  others,  and  to  administer  as 
much  to  the  happiness  of  his  fellows  as  lies  in  his 
power;  the  vicious  man  pursues  his  self-interest, 
his  self-gratification,  regardless  of  the  rights  and 
interests  of  his  fellows. 

If  this  definition  be  founded  in  nature,  it  fol- 
lows that  religion  is  not  evidence  of  virtue.  The 
religious  man  works  for  his  reward,  and,  like  the 
adventurous  merchant,  makes  a  long  investment ; 
he  is  willing  to  endure  much  here  for  the  benefit 
of  the  long  and  happy  hereafter,  which  lies  in 
prospect.  Let  us,  then,  take  religious  people  as 
we  find  them  ;  try  them  by  their  conduct  towards 
mankind,  and  not  by  their  belief,  or  by  their  rites 
towards  their  God.  If  you  find  a  kind,  benevo- 
lent, just-dealing  man,  call  him  what  he  is  —  a  virtu- 
ous, good  citizen.  If  you  see  an  intolerant,  egotis- 
tical, vain,  persecuting  man,  though  he  beat  the 
pulpit  for  a  living,  and  pray  loud  at  conference 
meetings,  class  him  among  the  vicious  —  it  is  his 
natural  rank. 

BAD   INTENTIONS. 

It  is  in  the  power  of  the  abusive  to  charge 
men  with  intentions  which  they  never  enter- 
tained—  with  motives  which  their  hearts  abhor. 
The  innocent  conduct  of  individuals  may  be 
easily  misinterpreted,  and  such  misinterpretation 
will  be  readily  adopted  by  the  prejudiced  and  un- 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  55 

reflecting,  who  are  ever  willing  to  suit  things  to 
their  own  malignant  purposes.  It  is  wiser,  then, 
for  us,  who  declare  the  truth  of  everlasting  Nat- 
ure, by  prudent,  good,  and  regular  conduct,  to 
acquire  such  a  character  as  will  explain  to  the  im- 
partial observer,  the  purity  of  the  motives  by 
which  we  are  actuated,  in  cases  in  which  our 
views  are  ungenerously  or  maliciously  misrepre- 
sented. We  sacrifice  our  personal  interests ;  we 
incur  the  rancor  of  clerical  malice ;  we  resign 
all  that  others  prize  as  pleasures  and  advantages  — 
for  the  sake  of  virtue,  reason,  and  truth ;  and  we 
enjoy  a  fecility  unknown  to  the  ignorant  and 
superstitious. 

THE   WORLD   MOVES. 

States  of  society,  and  forms  of  government 
have  always  been  forced  upon  men  by  the  com- 
mon march  of  events  ;  and  that  state  of  society  or 
form  of  government  which  existed  at  one  period 
of  a  nation's  history,  and  was  sufficient  for  all  its 
wants,  will  not  be  tolerated  at  a  later  period. 
Who,  at  the  present  day,  would  wish,  to  return  to 
a  state  of  society,  with  its  accompanying  manners 
and  form  of  government,  and  religious  institu- 
tions, such  as  existed  in  Great  Britain  in  the  time 
of  the  Druids,  or  the  Romans,  or  the  Saxons,  or 
the  Normans?  How  many  Protestants  would 
wish  to  revive  the  days  when  Catholicism  was  in 
its  glory  and  its  power,  and  the  brand  of  persecu- 
tion dried  up  the  blood  of  the  martyrs  ? 


56  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

These  changes  were  but  manifestations  of  the 
common  progress  of  tilings,  and  they  all  happened 
naturally  and  unavoidably,  independent  of  the 
control  of  governments  or  individuals.  Catholi- 
cism succeeded  Paganism ;  then  Protestantism 
came  after  Catholicism,  and  both  are  now  being 
superseded  by  Dissent ;  and  all  the  evils  which 
these  changes  brought  upon  the  people  of  other 
days,  as  well  as  all  the  miseries  that  have  befallen 
nations  in  our  own  times,  are  solely  attributable 
to  the  insane  and  blasphemous  endeavors  of  hu- 
man rulers  to  set  up  their  authority  against 
Reason  and  Progress,  and  to  tell  man  he  shall  go 
no  farther. 

And  have  all  the  treasures  wasted  and  the 
blood  spilled  —  all  the  persecutions  and  punish- 
ments and  revolting  crimes  which  have  taken 
place  to  keep  man  and  his  institutions  stationary, 
effected  the  object  for  which  they  were  intended  ? 
Turn  to  history  for  an  answer,  —  look  back  from 
our  days,  to  the  days  of  our  forefathers,  and  ask 
if  any  of  the  many  powerful  endeavors  to  prevent 
changes,  ever  yet  succeeded. 

RELIGION    AND    LIBERALISM. 

When  the  assertion  is  made  that  the  Christian 
religion  has  always,  from  the  day  of  its  origin, 
been  the  promoter  of  strife  and  discord,  the  gener- 
ality of  men  regard  you  with  the  stare  of  incredu- 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  57 

lity.  They  do  not  believe  it,  or  cannot  understand 
how  it  can  be  possible.  They  have  always  heard 
Christianity  spoken  of  as  the  parent  of  peace  and 
harmony;  and  they  cannot  for  a  moment  imagine 
that  she  could  ever  in  any  way,  directly  or  indi- 
rectly, support  or  countenance  war  or  bloodshed. 
The  assertion  of  the  skeptic  is  denied  with  no 
little  warmth,  and  he  is  pointed  to  this  great  Re- 
public as  a  living  refutation  of  his  charge. 

We  have  no  religious  wars  here,  but  we  are  a 
Christian  people,  nevertheless,  and  therefore  it  is 
false  to  say  that  religion  is  the  promoter  of  strife 
and  contention. 

True,  we  have  no  religious  wars  among  us,  but 
we  are  not  quite  certain  that  their  absence  is 
owing  to  the  humanizing  tendences  of  Christianity. 
We  attribute  it  altogether  to  the  increase  of 
Mental  Liberty,  the  offspring  of  Liberal  or  Infidel 
Principles  ;  and  to  Political  Liberty,  the  offspring 
of  Republicanism. 

Some  two  hundred  years  ago,  when  these  sav- 
ing principles  were  but  imperfectly  understood,  or 
hardly  understood  at  all,  men  and  women  were 
tortured  and  put  to  death  in  this  country,  for  re- 
ligion's sake.  There  was  no  lack  of  Christianity 
among  those  Pilgrim  Fathers  who  instigated  and 
carried  out  the  frightful  persecutions  of  their 
day — in  fact  they  committed  them  under  the 
guidance  and  direction  of  Christianity,  as  they 
understood  it;  and  if  Massachusetts  was  as  relig- 


58  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

ions  at  the  present  time,  as  she  was  when  she 
hanged  the  Quakers  for  their  religion,  she  would 
hang  Quakers  still. 

But  all  this  brutality  has  come  to  an  end,  and 
we  now  enjoy  comparative  freedom  of  conscience ; 
and  we  owe  the  blessing  entirely  to  the  intro- 
duction and  dissemination  of  Liberalism.  It  has 
stopped  the  taking  of  life  for  opinion's  sake,  and 
eventually,  as  it  increases  and  becomes  popular, 
will  remove  every  species  of  persecution.  But 
Christianity  never  did  and  never  can,  from  its 
very  nature,  exercise  this  benevolent  spirit,  be- 
cause its  nature  is  bigotry.  Give  either  of  the 
two  great  denominations  of  Christians,  Catholics, 
or  Protestants,  supreme  power,  and  neither  of 
them  would  show  any  mercy  to  dissenters.  Their 
history  confirms  the  truth  of  this  assertion.  They 
both  have  persecuted,  and  do  still,  to  the  extent 
they  dare  to  go ;  and  they  would  go  farther  were 
it  not  for  the  counteracting  barrier  of  Liberalism, 
which  lies  like  an  impregnable  mountain  across 
their  path.  In  our  own  country  there  is  more 
Liberalism  than  in  any  other,  and  hence  there  is 
less  persecution  to  be  met  with  than  in  any  other. 
But  no  thanks  to  Christianity  for  this  superiority. 
It  is  all  due  to  Liberalism,  which,  while  it  teaches 
the  honest  inquirer  his  rights  and  duties,  stands  a 
wall  of  defence  to  shield  him  from  the  remorseless 
vengeance  of  religious  bigotry.  Take  away  this 
shield,  and  let  Christianity  have  no  opposing  force, 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  59 

and  there  would  be  nothing  to  save  the  doubter 
of  to-day  from  experiencing  the  fate  of  the  Quak- 
ers in  the  early  times  of  New  England. 

Liberalism,  not  Christianity,  is  what  has  given 
us  our  free  institutions  and  the  degree  of  political 
arid  mental  liberty  we  possess.  The  system  of 
Christianity,  which  was  originated  some  eighteen 
hundred  years  ago,  may  have  been  as  good  a  one 
as  the  people  to  whom  it  was  given  were  capable 
of  appreciating ;  but  as  it  neither  allowed  nor 
contemplated  anything  like  improvement  in  its 
principles,  it  would  seem  to  belong  to  another 
age,  while  Liberalism,  gathering  knowledge  from 
the  march  of  reason  and  the  discoveries  of  science, 
is  enabled  to  improve  upon  the  past,  and  offer  a 
system  more  in  accordance  with  Truth  and  Nature. 

* 

SUNDAY    SCHOOLS. 

The  early  object  of  Sunday  schools,  why  they 
were  first  established  (in  England)  by  Robert 
Raikes  and  kindred  minds,  was  apparently  a  be- 
nevolent, not  a  religious  object. 

There  were  thousands  of  English  children  who 
were  so  constantly  employed  in  labor  during  week- 
days, that  Sunday  was  the  only  day  when  they 
had  any  leisure  to  attend  school.  This  day  was 
usually  spent  by  them  in  idleness,  mischief,  and 
vice.  It  was  very  important,  therefore,  that  they 
should  have  an  opportunity  afforded  for  acquiring 


60  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

knowledge  and  good  principles  on  the  only  day 
when  the  overwhelming  avarice  of  the  rich  men 
of  society  could  afford  them  any  leisure.  We 
have  not  the  historical  documents  before  us,  and 
therefore  cannot  quote  them ;  but  these  docu- 
ments would  show  that  the  ostensible  object  of 
the  originators  of  Sunday  schools  was  benevolent 
and  praiseworthy.  Scarcely  had  these  schools 
become  general,  before  they  were  diverted  from 
their  original  and  proper  object. 

It  was  found  that  those  poor  children  who  had 
no  time  for  attending  school  during  the  week, 
were  needed  as  servants  for  another  kind  of  labor 
on  the  Sabbath.  The  avarice  of  society  would 
allow  them  no  rest,  even  on  the  day  of  rest.  But 
the  Sabbath  schools  were  found  to  be  an  excellent 
institution  in  the  hands  of  the  church  and  the 
priesthood,  for  extending  their  power  tind  influ- 
ence. Sermons,  and  the  other  usual  services  at 
church,  produced  but  little  effect  upon  the  minds 
of  children,  and  all  the  labor  of  this  kind  of  teach- 
ing devolved  upon  the  pastor.  In  the  Sunday 
schools,  on  the  contrary,  children  were  made  the 
special  objects  of  attention,  they  could  be  in- 
structed in  that  way  which  would  be  most  agree- 
able to  them ;  and  the  burden  would  be  laid  upon 
the  shoulders  of  men  and  women,  of  various  ages, 
who  might  be  interested  in  the  work,  and  ambi- 
tious for  a  little  notoriety. 

Thus  were  Sunday  schools  at  length  made  uni- 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  bl 

versal ;  and  so  far  has  their  original  object  been 
forgotten,  that  the  children  of  the  poor  are  hardly 
seen  there,  unless  they  are  well  instructed  during 
the  week,  so  as  to  be  able  and  qualified  to  receive 
the  religious  instruction  there  given.  If  poor 
children  cannot  learn  to  read  during  the  week, 
they  cannot  be  taught  to  read  at  the  Sunday 
school.  Not  by  any  means.  Such  instruction 
would  be  deemed  by  the  pious  hypocrites  of  the 
present  day,  as  a  profanation  of  the  holy  Sabbath. 
Christianity,  however,  is  making  its  death-strug- 
gles. Its  supporters  are  obliged  to  use  every  arti- 
fice that  human  ingenuity  can  invent  to  keep  it 
alive.  We  shall  soon  be  divided  into  Infidels  and 
Catholics.  Protestantism  is  fast  running  into 
Infidelity. 

REVERENCE   FOR   OLD   DOCTRINES. 

Reverence  for  the  opinions  of  one's  ancestry  is 
one  of  the  most  remarkable  of  all  humbugs.  It 
is  not  so  much  a  natural  sentiment  as  one  indus- 
triously inculcated  by  the  deceivers  of  men,  as 
tending  to  promote  the  stability  of  all  established 
errors,  prejudices  and  pernicious  customs.  It  is  a 
doctrine  very  favorable  to  the  permanency  of  aris- 
tocratic institutions,  but  fatal  to  Republicanism. 
Men  are  taught  to  identify  themselves  with  their 
ancestors,  that  they  may  respect  their  prejudices, 
upon  which  the  power  of  the  privileged  classes  is 
established.  For  this  reason  they  are  taught  to 


62  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

regard  it  as  the  greatest  reproach  to  forsake  their 
fathers'  follies,  superstitions,  and  errors. 

That  feeling  which  is  most  assiduously  cherished 
in  the  tender  mind  is  reverence.  This  is  the 
humbug  by  which  in  later  life  men  may  be  blindly 
led  into  subjection.  They  are  taught  to  banish 
all  self-reliance  from  their  minds,  to  place  no  con- 
fidence in  their  own  powers,  but  to  rely  solely 
upon  the  godliness  and  wisdom  of  those  men  who, 
from  compassion  for  their  natural  inability  to 
reason,  have  furnished  them  with  leading-strings, 
that  they  may  not  go  astray. 

The  first  lesson  which  is  taught  to  youth  is 
reverence.  His  reverence  and  obedience  are  to 
compensate  him  for  the  sacrifice  he  has  made  of 
his  reasoning  powers  and  common-sense  on  the 
altar  of  superstition.  He  is  taught  to  reverence 
the  clergy — not  for  their  virtues,  for  they  may 
have  no  virtues  —  but  to  reverence  their  persons, 
and  their  opinions  also.  He  is  taught  to  rever- 
ence the  instructors  of  his  childhood,  instructors 
always  appointed  through  the  influence  of  the 
clergy,  that  he  may  receive  implicitly  all  the 
errors  which  hoodwinkers  have  established  for 
their  own  interested  purposes. 

Men  are  taught  to  venerate  the  holy  bandage 
which  is  placed  over  the  eyes  of  their  minds,  and 
which  disposes  them  piously  to  be  guided  by 
others,  rather  than  to  follow  the  wicked  and  blind 
guidance  of  their  own  natural  reason.  They  are 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  63 

taught  that  the  unpardonable  sin  would  be  to 
remove  the  bandage,  which  was  placed  over  their 
eyes  with  the  highest  regard  for  their  temporal 
and  eternal  good.  Divested  of  this  bandage,  they 
would  no  longer  reverence  their  errors  and  preju- 
dices, and  the  pious  authors  of  humbugs  and  dia- 
bolical deceptions ;  they  would  forsake  religion 
and  follow  after  the  understanding  of  their  own 
hearts,  and  in  the  ways  of  philosophy  and  com- 
mon sense.  They  would  prefer  the  light  of  their 
own  minds  to  the  darkness  of  superstition.  Hence 
nothing  so  greatly  offends  the  blindfolded  people, 
no  less  than  their  hoodwinkers,  as  to  witness  a 
fellow-citizen  declaring  his  mental  independence, 
and  shaking  off  his  reverence  for  their  blind 
guides. 

COURAGE. 

No  man  was  ever  truly  great,  no  man  ever  ac- 
complished great  things,  who  did  not  possess  tran- 
quil, steadfast,  immovable  courage.  When  once 
an  opinion  is  formed  on  good  grounds,  when  once, 
after  due  reflection,  a  determination  is  taken,  it 
should  be  persisted  in  at  every  hazard  of  personal 
consequence.  It  is  better  to  fall  than  to  bend  ;  to 
be  broken  than  to  yield.  This  secures  the  respect 
and  admiration  of  enemies,  if  not  their  approbation 
and  concurrence.  The  opposite  course  is  as  impoli- 
tic as  it  is  weak.  Defeat  then  becomes  disgrace  ; 
misfortune  carries  with  it  degradation.  The 


64  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

wounds  of  the  prostrate  combatant  are  all  in  the 
back;  his  very  scars  are  not  those  of  honor,  but 
of  shame.  To  be  weak  is  miserable.  Discom- 
fiture is  more  certain,  and  is  sullied  and  aggra- 
vated by  contempt.  Nothing  is  ever  gained  by 
cowardice  ;  nothing  is  ever  achieved  by  concession 
as  to  principle.  This  but  renders  a  triumphing 
foe  more  haughty,  insolent,  and  relentless.  The 
best  way  to  avoid  danger,  as  the  Irishman  said,  is 
to  meet  it. 

To  a  really  elevated  mind,  opposition  is  but  a 
stimulus  to  greater  exertion,  an  incentive  to  more 
strenuous  effort.  What  merit  is  there  in  a  vic- 
tory easily  achieved  ?  What  glory  is  it  to  tri- 
umph over  obstacles  that  are  light,  to  overpower 
an  enemy  who  is  weak  ?  Danger  is  the  element  of 
true  greatness,  the  atmosphere  in  which  it  lives, 
and  moves  and  has  its-  being.  Resistance  but 
kindles  the  resolution  of  exalted  courage.  Ob- 
loquy, misrepresentation,  prejudice,  ignorance, 
envy,  passion,  these  hideous  shapes  are  mere 
phantoms  which  vanish  before  the  glance  of  de- 
termination, and  are  at  once  exposed  and  laid 
open  by  a  voice  of  power  and  intrepidity. 

FREE   SPEECH. 

It  is  much  to  be  lamented  that  too  many  peo- 
ple yet  conceive  that  there  are  some  opinions 
which  ought  not  to  be  tolerated,  as  they  imagine 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  65 

the  free  expression  of  them  would  tend  to  disor- 
ganize society,  by  subverting  what  they  believe  to 
be  the  foundation  of  virtue.  How  can  any  danger 
possibly  arise  from  the  unrestrained  expression  of 
any  opinions  whatever,  where  reason  and  truth  are 
left  free  to  combat  them  ?  It  is  time  the  world 
had  done  with  such  groundless  apprehensions ; 
they  have  been  sources  of  infinite  mischief  in  all 
ages,  and  in  every  country. 

Such  people  breathe  the  very  spirit  of  despot- 
ism, and  wish  to  communicate  it.  It  is  impossi- 
ble not  to  infer  from  their  apprehensions,  that,  as 
men  increase  in  knowledge,  they  must  see  reason 
to  disapprove  the  systems  established.  How  can 
that  mind  be  constituted  which  contemplates  the 
progress  of  human  knowledge  as  matter  of  regret 
or  fear  ?  The  wider  the  diffusion  of  knowledge, 
the  better  the  people  are  informed,  the  more  they 
understand  —  the  more  likely  they  are  to  see  and 
comprehend  what  is  for  their  good,  and  the  means 
by  which  that  good'  is  to  be  attained ;  the  more 
likely  they  are  to  abstain  from  such  means  as 
would  be  prejudicial  in  their  operation,  and  calcu- 
lated rather  for  the  prevention  than  the  attainment 
of  that  good. 

THE   CLOSING   YEAR. 

"Nothing  is  lasting  on  the  world's  wide  stage, 
As  sung,  and  wisely  sung,  the  Grecian  sage  ; 
And  man,  who  thi'ough  the  globe  extends  his  sway, 
Reigns  but  the  sovereign  creature  of  a  day. 


66  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

One  generation  comes  ;  another  goes ; 
Time  blends  the  happy  with  the  man  of  woes ; 
A  different  face  of  things  each  age  appears ; 
And  all  things  alter  in  a  course  of  years." 

We  are  just  now  passing  one  of  those  mile- 
stones that  mark  the  progress  we  have  made  in 
the  journey  of  existence.  The  occasion  suggests 
to  us  the  inestimable  value  of  TIME,  which  is 
given  to  man  for  his  improvement.  By  the 
protraction  of  life,  opportunities  are  afforded  for 
our  growth  in  knowledge  and  in  usefulness.  We 
were  not  raised  into  being,  that  we  might  be  idle 
spectators  of  the  objects  with  which  we  are  sur- 
rounded. The  situation  in  which  we  are  placed 
demands  reiterated  exertion.  The  sphere  in 
which  we  move  calls  for  the  putting  forth  all  the 
ability  with  which  we  may  be  endowed. 

Inquiries  therefore  should  be  made,  how  im- 
provements can  be  best  effected,  either  in  our 
individual  or  social  capacities.  This  conduct  will 
reflect  an  honor  on  our  rationality;  this  train 
of  action  will  elevate  us  in  the  scale  of  being, 
and  impart  a  zest  to  our  enjoyment.  It  is  said 
that  the  elder  Oato  repented  of  three  things  — 
and  one  of  them  was  his  having  passed  a  day 
without  improvement. 

"  We  know  not  what  to-morrow  may  bring 
forth "  —  and  it  is  best  for  us  that  we  do  not. 
The  anticipation  of  our  joys  or  of  our  griefs  is  often 
a  burden  too  heavy  to  be  borne.  Pretentious,  in- 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  67 

deed,  are  made  to  a  knowledge  of  our  future  des- 
tiny; but  the  imposition  has  been  detected  and 
exposed.  Our  wisest  way  is  to  throw  the  reins 
over  a  vain  curiosity.  Contented  with  that  por- 
tion of  information  which  is  commensurate  with 
our  faculties,  and  congenial  with  our  present  situ- 
ation, let  us  devote  our  knowledge  to  the  benefit 
of  humanity,  and  resolve  that  before  we  —  "  Bid 
the  working  world  good-night, "  we  will  make  it 
some  better  for  our  having  lived  in  it. 

THE   UNKNOWN. 

It  is  rather  a  singular  fact,  that,  taking  man- 
kind as  we  find  them,  they  appear  to  be  confident 
of  some  things  in  proportion  as  they  are  ignorant 
of  them. 

The  "  next  world "  is  one  of  these  things. 
Who  knows  anything  concerning  it?  Nobody. 
The  most  learned  man  that  ever  lived,  has  no 
more  actual  knowledge  of  it  than  the  most  illiter- 
ate ;  and  yet,  when  an  honest  and  candid  person 
questions  the  fact  of  its  existence,  he  is  regarded 
as  very  foolish,  and  as  not  a  little  wicked, 
withal;  —  while  he  who  is  obstreperously  confi- 
dent of  its  existence,  and  makes  the  assertion 
with  the  most  dogmatic  assurance,  is  thought  to 
be  possessed  of  great  erudition  and  eminent  vir- 
tue. Strange  test  of  knowledge  and  goodness — • 
yet  how  common ! 


68  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

The  "  next  world  !  "  For  thousands  of  years 
have  dreamers  transmitted  to  their  own  and  suc- 
ceeding generations,  the  task  of  meditating  upon 
a  future  existence,  and  still  the  whole  subject  is 
involved  in  impenetrable  darkness.  Man,  un- 
fortunately for  himself,  through  the  influence  of 
erroneous  teaching,  wishes  to  exceed  the  limits  of 
his  sphere,  and  to  transport  himself  beyond  the 
visible  world ;  he  neglects  experience,  and  feeds 
himself  with  conjectures.  Early  prepossessed 
against  reason,  he  neglects  its  cultivation.  Pre- 
tending to  know  his  fate  in  another  world,  he  is 
inattentive  to  his  happiness  in  the  present.  We 
torment  our  lives  by  an  insatiable  desire  of  know- 
ing and  comprehending  an  imaginary  state  of  ex- 
istence, and  perceive  not  the  simple  realities  that 
comprise  the  extent  of  all  possible  knowledge. 
Could  we  be  satisfied  with  facts  and  realities,  and 
taking  one  world  at  a  time,  endeavor  to  make  it 
what  it  should  be,  superseding  Faith  and  Bigotry 
with  Reason  and  Humanity,  we  should  fit  man- 
kind to  live  properly  here ;  and  when  this  life  is 
done  they  are  properly  prepared  to  live  hereafter  — 
admitting  there  is  any. 

WHAT   WILL   YOU   SUBSTITUTE   FOE    RELIGION? 

It  is  said  by  those,  who,  having  been  driven  to 
!  their  last  stronghold  in  the  cause  of  religion,  and 
who,  finding  it  no  longer  tenable  upon  its  own  in- 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  69 

trinsic  merits,  are  about  to  abandon  its  defence, 
that  it  would  be  better,  infinitely  better,  not  to 
remove  this  long-sanctioned  curb  upon  the  evil 
passions  of  mankind,  even  though  there  should  be 
nothing  real  in  it ;  that  it  would  be  vastly  prefer- 
able not  to  demolish  this  ancient  hedge  round 
about  the  innocent  and  goodly  disposed,  even 
though  it  should  be  found  to  be  but  a  baseless 
fabric,  or,  at  best,  founded  upon  mere  inference. 

Now  it  so  happens,  that  in  order  to  maintain 
this  curb,  so  called,  the  perpetuation  of  ignorance, 
absolute  ignorance,  in  the  mass  is  indispensable. 
Light  and  knowledge  threaten  its  utter  destruc- 
tion; for  darkness,  ignorance,  and  superstition 
are  entirely  unnecessary  to  the  true  happiness 
and  wellbeing  of  man ;  and  more  and  worse  than 
that,  they  are  extremely  deleterious,  except  it  be 
for  the  aggrandizement  of  a  comparatively  incon- 
siderable portion  of  the  heritage.  They  must, 
they  will  be  dispelled  —  it  is  contrary  to  the  nat- 
ure of  things  that  they  should  forever  exist. 

But  what  shall  be  set  up  in  the  place  of  exist- 
ing religion  ?  has  been  asked. 

Set  nothing  up  as  dogmatic  and  arbitrary,  but 
cultivate  a  moral  principle  in  the  breast  of  man, 
without  reference  to,  and  totally  independent  of, 
any  separate  existence.  Let  him  rely  upon  no 
superstruction  that  is  not  founded  upon  known 
facts.  Instead  of  a  long  and  incomprehensible 
creed,  let  his  motto  consist  of  these  three  words : 


70  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

INJUEE  NO  ONE.  Whenever  the  question  occurs 
with  respect  to  the  omission  or  commission  of  any 
act  in  the  affairs  of  life,  instead  of  referring  for 
sanction  to  scripture,  to  the  church,  the  ministry; 
to  custom  or  fashion,  let  him  ask  himself  the 
simple  question,  "  Is  the  thing  in  itself  right  and 
proper  to  be  done,  or  not  done  ? "  as  the  case 
may  be ;  and  as  his  best  judgment  shall  dictate, 
so  let  him  govern  himself.  This  course  would 
ensure  salvation  economically ;  and  instead  of 
man  inheriting  the  costly  necessity  of  redemption, 
it  would  be  rendered  needless  to  him,  by  his 
refraining  from  evil.  It  is  impossible  to  calculate 
the  amount  of  benefit  to  the  family  of  man,  in 
every  point  of  view,  were  they  to  direct  their 
united  energies  to  these  important  points,  instead 
of  wasting  them  upon  a  system  that  will  be 
found  to  be  but  as  a  broken  reed,  and  a  zeal  for 
which,  in  many  instances,  has  almost  eaten  them 
up.  In  his  pecuniary  resources,  in  this  country 
alone,  there  would  be  a  saving  of  millions  of  dol- 
lars annually,  if  man  would  abandon  his  servility 
to  the  church,  and  learn  and  follow  the  philosophy 
that  is  according  to  Nature  and  Reason. 

INDIVIDUALITY. 

Why  should  a  man  be  afraid  to  be  alone  in  his 
opinion?  Somebody  was  once  alone  in  about 
everything  that  is  said,  done,  and  believed  in  the 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  71 

world.  One  man,  of  all  the  millions,  had  in  his 
great  heart  and  measureless  thought,  the  first  seed 
of  this  whole  order  of  things  in  which  we  live. 
A  printing-press,  a  railroad,  a  steam  engine,  a 
plough,  a  system  of  education,  moral  reform,  — 
Christianity  itself  is  but  the  vibration  of  an  indi- 
vidual force.  There  never  was  a  giant  but  was  a 
baby  once ;  there  is  not  a  gigantic  thing  now, 
that  was  not  once  little.  This  very  America,  the 
sea-bed  of  all  Anglo-Saxondom,  into  which  it 
claims  the  right  to  flow  and  swallow  everything 
else,  was  once,  practically,  as  it  were,  in  the  head 
of  a  Genoese  navigator,  and  it  was  not  without 
headaching  and  severe  throbs  that  it  was  ever  got 
out. 

It  is  not  without  trial  and  long  toil,  that  a  unit 
can  swell  itself  to  a  host,  that  one  long  desire, 
finding  words  on  one  solitary  tongue,  can  gather 
force  enough  to  shake  the  nations  ;  but  as  surely  as 
it  is  great  and  true,  it  will  be  heard  thrilling  down 
to  remotest  time.  Do  you  know  that  a  thought, 
if  true,  is  of  import  to  the  world  ?  What  if  you, 
only,  are  its  possessor  ? 

That  one  thought  shall  be  the  centre  of  an 
ever-widening  power,  whose  larger  circles  shall 
embrace,  first  you,  then  yours,  and  the  world  and 
worlds  in  their  growing  rings.  Doubtless  it  re- 
quires courage  and  faith  to  be  the  announcer  of  a 
new  truth  which  is  to  whelm  old  systems  of  oppres- 
sion and  falsehood  in  wide  ruin,  and  beat  hope  out 


72  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

of  a  thousand  blind  hearts  in  the  waste  of  their 
cherished  error ;  but  let  us  remember  that  a  holier 
hope  shall  be  wafted  to  a  million  hearts  now  hope- 
less, and  the  pained  thousand  shall  be  blessed  as 
well  as  these. 

How  can  the  man  be  other  than  heroic,  who 
feels  within  him  the  throes  of  a  universal  good, 
eager  to  be  born  of  his  kingly  mind,  who  knows 
that  the  thought  now  throbbing  in  his  brain  may 
yet  fill  empires,  years,  and  ages,  with  its  blessed 
benediction  ?  What  are  racks  and  inquisitions  to 
him  ?  What  the  poor  wooden  stocks  of  public 
opinion,  or  the  hour's  penance  in  the  petty  pillory 
of  a  little  people's  scorn?  He  makes  his  very 
oujblawry  his  servant;  the  prison,  to  which  mad 
parties  doom  him,  shuts  him  out  from  babble  and 
in  with  conscience  and  his  own  mind,  and  the 
pillory  of  hate  and  scorn  becomes  a  pulpit  under 
his  feet,  from  which  to  reach  the  ears  of  thousands 
who  had  else  not  heard  him.  Valiant  hearts  have 
gone  dead  or  mad,  for  the  want  of  just  such 
a  field  as  the  world  opens  now  to  the  heroic,  a 
field  for  intense  action,  calm-browed  daring,  and 
a  bloodless  victory.  One  eager  for  renown  could 
ask  no  prouder  laurels  than  wave  in  the  path  of 
reform.  But  the  disciple  of  Truth  has  a  higher 
arm  than  Fame's  to  rest  his  calm  faith  on ;  he  feels 
the  love  of  Right  to  be  its  own  reward. 

Only  give  a  man  a  heart  full  of  some  good 
work,  and  he  is  not  long  in  forgetting  that  he  is 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  73 

alone  in  it,  and  learns  readily  that  bugbears  are 
the  smallest  of  bears,  that  scarecrows  will  not 
scare  MEN,  and  that  hisses  and  hate,  and  gibbets 
even,  are  transient  and  petty  things  when  seen  in 
the  light  of  an  everlasting  Truth.  He  can  very 
cheaply  dare  to  be  hated  by  all  earth's  bigotry, 
who  puts  all  earth's  clear-eyed  esteem  in  debt  to 
him,  and  makes  the  whole  future  the  rich  banker 
of  his  fame.  A  few  shallow  years  hiss  round  his 
quiet  steps,  and  whole  cycles  chant  melodious 
hymns  to  his  high  praise,  after  all  reptile  scorn 
has  gone  dead  and  dumb  forever.  The  bold  truth 
he  spoke  from  lone  corners  to  a  few  dull  ears, 
begins  to  echo  million-voiced  from  all  the  nations 
made  glad  in  its  power,  and  the  smiles  of  joy,  the 
deepened  sense  of  life  and  good,  the  immeasur- 
able delights  of  heart  and  mind,  all  grown  from 
that  accumulating  thought,  are  the  sweet  notes 
that  make  the  high  psalm  of  his  praise. 

It  matters  not  to  the  world-helper  whether  his 
name  lives  in  the  memory  of  those  he  has  blessed, 
or  dies  with  his  body.  If  he  remembers  what  was 
done,  sees  what  is  doing,  and  delights  in  the  joy 
of  earth,  he  is  filled  already ;  and  if  he  does  not 
pierce  the  veil,  what  matters  to  him  the  echo  of 
a  name  he  never  hears  ?  But  Truth  and  Right  do 
not  defer  their  gifts.  The  doing  good  is  the  hav- 
ing. One  shall  not  need  to  look  to  his  neighbor, 
to  the  future,  or  the  promises  of  the  past,  to  find 
a  price  for  his  truthfulness.  The  flower  asks  no 


74  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

reward  for  shedding  odors  on  the  thankless  air, — 
nay,  does  not  even  question  if  the  sweet  breath  is 
needed ;  but,  from  a  full  and  blushing  heart,  pours 
out  the  warm  delight  without  measure,  careless  of 
recompense  or  fellowship.  So,  from  the  depth  of 
a  large  humanity,  the  brother  of  suffering  men 
breathes  an  unceasing  soul  of  goodness  round  him, 
so  that  all  hungry  hearts  may  feed  upon  his  kind- 
ness, and  all  benighted  minds  drink  light  into 
their  opening  eyes  from  that  free-pouring  and 
exhaustless  fountain. 


FREEDOM    OF    THE   PRESS. 

The  incorrect  definition  of  words  is  the  cause 
of  many  errors,  and  of  almost  all  disputes.  The 
words  free  press,  one  would  at  first  suppose 
meant  a  press  open  to  the  free  discussion  of  all 
subjects  on  religion,  morals,  politics,  and  physics. 
But  where  is  such  a  press  to  be  found  ?  Hardly 
in  our  country,  the  foundation  of  whose  political 
institutions  ought  to  be  freedom  and  equality. 
All  presses  that  have  yet  been  called  free  are 
trammelled  by  two  kinds  of  restrictions  :  law,  and 
the  prejudices  of  public  opinion  in  favor  of  certain 
religious  dogmas,  party  politics,  etc. 

In  a  country  where  the  publishing  of  truth  is 
considered  a  libel,  and  punished  as  such,  the  press 
cannot  be  called  free ;  or  when  publishing  any- 
thing contrary  to  the  dogmas  of  any  species  of 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  75 

religion  is  a  crime,  punishable  by  fine  and  impris- 
onment, the  word  free,  applied  to  the  press,  is  cer- 
tainly a  misnomer.  In  all  nations,  any  one  may 
publish  in  favor  of  the  ruling  politics  or  religion, 
but  in  few  is  any  one  tolerated  to  publish  any- 
thing against  them  ;  he  is  either  physically 
punished  by  law,  or  morally  injured  by  the 
persecution  of  those  who,  differing  in  opinion 
from  him,  assume  the  right  of  slandering  and  cal- 
umniating him  for  opinion's  sake. 

Complete  toleration,  physical  and  moral,  exists 
nowhere  ;  and  often  where  the  physical  restric- 
tions are  most  rigorous,  the  moral  are  most  toler- 
ant. Almost  all  the  presses  in  our  mercantile 
towns  are  hired  and  paid  by  the  advertisements 
to  advocate  the  monied  and  merchantile  aristoc- 
racy; free  and  open  to  everything  in  favor  of 
their  supporters,  and  shut  against  every  species 
of  reasoning,  be  it  ever  so  true,  that  can  militate 
against  them.  All  such  presses  cannot  pretend  to 
be  called  free.  All  political  party,  and  all  secta- 
rian religious,  presses  are  excluded  from  the  list 
of  free  presses.  Why  boast  of  the  free  press  of  the 
United  States,  when  there  is  not  one  in  a  hun- 
dred that  has  the  least  pretensions  to  the  honor- 
able title? 

Would  it  not  be  better,  and  save  much  error 
and  deception,  to  call  everything  by  its  proper 
name,  that  would  designate  its  properties?  For 
instance,  this  press  is  supported  by  the  monied 


76  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

and  merchantile  aristocracies,  to  advocate  their 
interests ;  that  press  is  in  favor  of  the  govern- 
ment of  the  few  over  the  many ;  one  is  in  favor  of 
the  election  of  one  man  for  President,  and  some  of 
another ;  one  is  in  favor  of  one  religious  sect,  and 
some  of  another.  Let  us  not  permit  the  shop  that 
deals  only  in  whiskey,  to  pretend  to  sell  bread. 


DIFFERENCES    OF   OPINION. 

An  argument,  be  it  good  or  bad,  addresses 
itself  never  to  the  will,  but  always  to  the  under- 
standing. Whatever  be  the  obstacles  it  has  to 
combat,  it  acts  by  its  own  intrinsic  force  alone ; 
and  that  is  extraneous  to  our  volition,  and  not 
controllable  by  it.  But  as  a  man's  conduct, 
in  this  preliminary  respect,  can  only  be  known 
accurately  to  himself,  all  laws  for  the  punish- 
ment of  opinions  are  acts  of  injustice  and  cru- 
elty. All  blame  thrown  upon  a  man,  because 
his  opinions  are  different  from  our  own,  is 
unjust.  He  has  formed  his  opinion  on  such 
evidence  as  occurred  to  him,  and  we  have  done 
the  same. 

This  view  of  the  subject  leads  to  charitable 
conclusions,  to  mutual  forbearance  and  toleration. 
We  are  all  in  search  of  truth.  It  is  never  desir- 
able to  be  misled  or  mistaken.  If  we  are  in  error, 
and  our  neighbor  has  discovered  the  truth,  it  is 
the  necessary  result  of  his  having  enjoyed  better 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  77 

means  and  opportunities,  natural  or  acquired, 
than  we  have.  Ought  this  to  be  a  cause  of  anger 
and  animosity  against  us?  Our  want  of  knowl- 
edge is  a  misfortune,  not  a  crime,  and  charity 
should  so  consider  it,  provided  always  we  do  not 
conjoin  bad  passions  and  intolerant  behavior  to 
erroneous  opinions. 

As  volition  relates  to  actions  only,  and  not  to 
opinions,  it  follows  that  praise  or  blame,  merit  or 
demerit,  reward  or  punishment,  should  be  applied 
to  actions  only,  and  not  to  opinions.  Punishment 
may  produce  resentment  and  hardness  of  heart, 
but  it  can  never  convince.  Are  we  allowed  to 
confute  our  adversary  by  replying  to  the  major  of 
his  syllogism  by  a  blow  on  the  head  ;  to  his  minor 
by  imprisoning  his  person ;  or  to  his  conclusion 
by  setting  the  populace  against  him,  as  if  he  were 
a  mad  dog,  unworthy  of  all  argument  ?  Yet,  how 
often  has  this  been  done  !  Nay,  at  this  very  day, 
how  common  is  the  practice !  And  how  much 
more  common  would  it  be,  if  public  opinion  did 
not  show  strong  symptoms  of  dislike  to  persecu- 
tion, whether  for  political  errors,  or  theological 
heresies. 

REFLECTIONS. 

Choice  by  no  means  proves  liberty,  since  hesi- 
tation only  finishes  when  the  will  is  determined 
by  sufficient  motives,  and  man  cannot  hinder  mo- 
tives from  acting  upon  the  will.  The  motive 


78  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

which  determines   the    will  is    always   the   most 
powerful. 

A  little  reflection  will  suffice  to  convince  us 
that  man  is  necessitated  in  all  his  actions.  His 
ideas,  opinions,  and  notions,  true  or  false,  are  nec- 
essary fruits  of  his  education ;  his  passions  and 
desires  are  necessary  consequences  of  his  natural 
temperament,  and  of  the  ideas  with  which  he  has 
been  inspired.  During  his  whole  life,  his  volitions 
and  actions  are  determined  by  his  connections, 
habits,  business,  pleasures,  conversations,  and  the 
thoughts  that  are  involuntarily  presented  to  his 
mind.  He  can  desire  and  will,  only  what  he 
judges  advantageous  or  pleasing  to  himself;  he  is 
necessitated  to  choose  what  he  judges  most  useful. 
an<i  agreeable. 

When  we  trace  the  true  principles  of  our  ac- 
tions, we  find  that  they  are  always  necessary  con- 
sequences of  our  volitions  and  desires,  which  are 
never  in  our  power.  If  the  wicked  act  necessarily 
according  to  the  impulses  .of  their  evil  natures, 
society,  in  punishing  them,  acts  necessarily  by  the 
desire  for  safety  and  preservation. 

Reward  and  punishment  are  to  be  considered 
as  the  motives  which  should  be  employed  to 
procure  the  adoption  or  abandonment  of  any 
given  line  of  conduct.  The  doctrine  of  necessity 
does  not  in  the  least  diminish  the  disapprobation 
of  vice. 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  79 


MOTHEKS  —  CHILDREN. 

"  Every  nation  that  has  become  great  has  had  a 
race  of  noble  matrons.  Roman  mothers  made 
Roman  men." 

There  is  an  important  truth  contained  in  this 
short  paragraph,  and  it  may  not  be  uninteresting 
to  make  it  the  subject  of  a  few  reflections.  The 
place  which  children  hold  in  society  depends  very 
essentially,  no  doubt,  on  the  character  and  con- 
duct of  the  mother.  In  this  busy  nation,  a  hus- 
band is  commonly  too  much  occupied  in  his  own 
affairs,  to  devote  his  thoughts  and  time  to  any 
systematic  course  of  discipline.  The  sum  of  duty, 
comprising  manners,  cleanliness,  associates,  time 
out  of  school,  amusements,  morals,  religious  im- 
pressions, example,  precept,  temper  and  gentle- 
ness, depends  mainly  on  the  mother.  She  com- 
monly feels  the  weight  of  her  responsibility,  and 
is  willing  faithfully  to  acquit  herself  of  it.  But 
she  deserves  every  possible  encouragement  from 
her  husband.  The  husband  too  often  thwarts  her 
purposes  by  interposing  his  own  contradictory 
views.  If  he  thinks  he  can  do  any  good  by  his 
better  knowledge,  the  medium  of  influence  is 
through  the  mother.  If  he  can  kindly  convince 
her  of  some  better  mode,  he  will  best  promote  the 
common  welfare  by  that  course,  and  can  do  no 
greater  mischief  than  by  laying  down  rules  that 
imply  the  insignificance  of  her  judgment.  It 


80  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

should  be  remembered  that  the  prominent  bless- 
ing of  civilized  society  as  to  human  life,  is  that  it 
has  made  woman  the  joint  and  equal  partner  in 
domestic  interests.  If  parents  desire  to  make 
their  children  feel  contempt  for  the  authority  of 
both  of  them,  the  readiest  way  to  do  it  is  to  dis- 
pute in  their  presence.  Which  of  them  is  a  child 
to  obey? 

The  bringing  up  of  children  is  a  fearful  respon- 
sibility. So  great  is  it  that  many  parents  feel 
that  if  they  were  not  involved  in  it,  and  could 
have  foreknown  what  it  is,  they  never  would  have 
assumed  it.  But  this  distrust  and  dissatisfaction 
are,  in  part,  from  their  own  errors.  Have  they 
ever  seriously  thought  how  this  duty  should  be 
performed?  What  books  have  they  read?  With 
whom  have  they  conversed  ?  What  have  they 
learned  as  to  the  best  means'  of  promoting  the 
true  interests  of  their  offspring  ?  If  they  have 
done  nothing  to  inform  themselves,  how  can  they 
be  instructors  to  others  ?  Not  only  are  parents 
bound  to  know  what  is  right,  but  they  are  bound 
to  know  how  to  use  knowledge  in  a  right  manner. 
One  rule  to-day,  and  a  discordant  one  to-morrow  ; 
harshness  and  severity  at  one  time,  and  the  most 
weak  and  injurious  indulgence  at  another,  are 
poor  qualities  for  instructors.  There  must  be  in 
these  matters,  as  in  everything  else,  a  best  way. 
It  may  be  found  somewhere  in,  or  extracted  from, 
these  principles.  Children  have  as  good  a  right 


OCCASIONAL    THOUGHTS.  81 

to  be  happy  as  their  seniors.  Their  happiness 
consists  in  having  and  doing  what  will  make  them 
intellectually  capable,  morally  correct  and  amia. 
ble,  and  physically  pure  and  strong.  These  ends 
will  be  obtained  by  a  systematic  regularity,  mildly 
and  kindly,  but  certainly,  enforced.  Love,  respect* 
and  obedience  are  its  consequences.  A  child  will 
soon  learn  what  it  can  have  and  do,  and  what  it 
cannot ;  and  it  will  soon  know  that  it  cannot  ask 
again  for  what  has  been  on  due  consideration 
refused.  The  excellence  of  society  has  its  root 
in  infancy,  and  that  excellence  is  confided  to  the 
care  of  mothers.  Its  seeds  are  planted  in  the 
cradle. 

PHILOSOPHY    AND   RELIGION. 

Philosophy  depends  on  argument  ;  religion,  on 
credulity  :  the  one  rests  on  the  uniform  experience 
of  things  ;  the  other,  on  their  violation.  Philoso- 
phy does  not  parley  with  the  apprehensions  of  the 
timid  ;  it  does  not  press  into  its  service  denuncia- 
tions of  eternal  vengeance ;  its  professors  are  not 
supplied  by  revenues  extorted  from  the  prime  nec- 
essaries of  the  people ;  it  requires  no  statutes 
villanously  foisted  into  the  legal  code,  to  protect 
its  tenets  from  disquisition,  for  truth  and  freedom, 
not  falsehood  and  tyranny,  are  its  aim. 

Love  of  truth  never  raised  a  persecution.  Per- 
secution springs  from  the  ambitious  desire  to 
govern  the  opinions  of  others,  and  thus  convert 


82  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

them  to  their  interested  uses.  And  a  religious 
ambition  is  by  far  the  worst,  the  most  rancorous, 
the  most  hateful  and  unreasonable  specimen  of  its 
kind  that  ever  infested  the  world ;  it  is  a  direct 
violation  of  the  rights  of  conscience,  an  atrocious 
and  infamous  invasion  of  the  rights  of  man.  A 
man  wishes  to  compel  me  to  think  as  he  does,  in 
order  that  I  may  subserve  his  purpose,  not  regard- 
ing my  right  to  express  my  opinions  being  the 
same  as  he  has  to  express  his  own  ;  his  opinions 
must  be  established,  mine  not  dared  to  be  uttered. 


LIFE  A   JOURNEY. 

Young  persons  think  that  they  can  see  for 
themselves,  and  that  they  need  not  to  be  told 
what  others  have  seen.  But  let  us  reduce  this  to 
common  sense.  Suppose  a  person  to  be  under  the 
necessity  of  going  from  the  place  in  which  he  has 
lived,  and  which  is  familiar  to  him,  to  a  far  dis- 
tant place.  Let  it  be  supposed  that  the  road  he 
must  travel  is  crossed  by  many  roads,  and  that  he 
is  frequently  to  find  himself  at  points  where  sev- 
eral roads  are  seen,  either  one  of  which,  so  far  as 
he  can  discern,  may  be  the  right  one.  Will  it  be 
of  use  to  him  to  have  been  told,  before  he  departs, 
which  of  these  many  roads  to  take  ?  Will  it  help 
him  onward  to  his  destination,  when  he  is  bewil- 
dered and  unable  to  decide  for  himself,  to  find 
some  one  who  can  assure  him  of  the  right  course  ? 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  83 

Life  is  a  journey.  Every  step  we  take  in  it, 
brings  us  to  something  new,  something  unex- 
pected, and  perhaps  entirely  different  from  that 
which  was  looked  for  and  expected.  Those  who 
have  gone  through  it  before  us,  have  left  us  their 
instructions  in  what  manner  it  is  to  be  under- 
taken and  accomplished.  They  tell  us  of  their 
own  troubles  and  difficulties;  —  they  warn  us 
how  to  avoid  the  like  in  our  own  journey. 
Which  is  wisest,  to  listen  to  them,  and  weigh 
the  worth  of  their  warning,  or  to  push  on  heed- 
lessly, and  take  the  consequences  ? 

THE   GREAT   PURPOSE   OF   SOCIAL   LIFE. 

There  are  laws  prescribed  to  the  human  family, 
as  there  certainly  are  to  other  parts  of  animated 
being ;  and  in  attempting  to  show  man's  relation 
to  the  material  world,  and  his  duty  to  himself,  in 
rendering  obedience  to  laws  as  they  are  disclosed 
in  nature,  we,  of  course,  anticipate  social  duty  to 
some  extent.  All  those  qualities  which  enable  an 
individual  to  comprehend  life  as  a  whole,  and  to 
obtain  for  himself  the  greatest  good  throughout 
its  duration,  enable  him  also  to  perform  social 
duty.  The  social  condition  of  the  people  of  this 
country  might  be  placed,  it  would  seem,  on  a 
foundation  better  adapted  to  promote  human  hap- 
piness, than  it  is,  if  it  were  rightly  understood. 
Labor  and  action,  to  useful  ends,  whether  with 


84  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

the  head  or  the  hands,  or  both,  is  alike  honorable 
in  all  classes,  and  constitutes  the  most  enduring 
pleasure  which  is  known  in  this  life. 

Every  person  belongs  to  a  neighborhood  which 
is  both  local  and  social.  Even  those  who  have  re- 
moved into  new  countries,  and  who  dwell  in 
solitary  abodes,  do  not  lose  the  sentiment  of  neigh- 
borhood. The  nearest  person  to  them  is  a  neigh- 
bor, though  separated  by  long  distance;  and 
when  this  sentiment  cannot  be  preserved  in  fact, 
it  may  be  in  thought,  and  by  that  means  it  usu- 
ally is  so.  Perhaps  the  last  impressions  that 
depart  from  the  mind  of  one  who  has  wandered 
into  far  distant  regions,  are  those  made  in  his 
early  days,  in  his  native  home.  In  general,  as 
every  one  lives  in  a  neighborhood  more  or  less 
dense,  he  can  promote  his  own  happiness,  arid  that 
of  those  around  him,  by  observing  a  becoming 
moral  conduct.  He  has  a  right  to  enjoy  life,  and 
to  use  all  things  which  he  has  to  that  end ;  but 
he  has  not  a  right  to  any  employment  which  neces- 
sarily disturbs  that  of  others.  Peace,  tranquil- 
lity, and  security  within  one's  walls,  is  the  main 
purpose  of  life.  No  one  has  a  right  to  interfere  in 
these  things.  The  moral  duties  of  neighborhood 
extend  to  all  matters  which  mmister  to  the  com- 
mon comfort,  convenience,  and  security. 

Every  person,  in  general,  is  a  member  of  some 
sort  of  society  or  association.  These  are  intended 
for  a  useful  purpose.  Every  one  who  is  such  a 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  85 

member  has  some  duties  to  perform.  He  owes 
some  proper  part  of  his  time,  some  proper  contri- 
butions to  the  common  object,  and  has  an  interest 
in  the  prosperity  of  the  design.  These  institutions 
do  some  good,  and  some  of  them  eminent  good,  in 
helping  on  the  great  purpose  of  social  life,  which 
is  general  improvement.  Of  this  nature  are  pub- 
lic charities,  lyceums,  debating  societies,  libraries, 
reading-rooms,  agricultural  societies,  and  those 
for  suppressing  intemperance  and  immorality. 
No  well-disposed  citizen  can  conscientiously  ab- 
stain from  giving  his  aid  and  support  to  such 
objects.  It  is  each  one's  duty  to  try  to  leave  the 
world  a  little  better  than  he  found  it.  No  one 
can  say  that  these  are  matters  which  do  not  con- 
cern him.  Suppose  every  one  should  say  so,  and 
had  said  so,  from  time  immemorial,  society  would 
still  be  made  up  of  barbarians.  Every  good  that 
is  done  in  any  community  affects,  directly  or  indi- 
rectly, every  member  of  it.  The  law  of  example, 
of  imitation,  of  doing  as  others  do,  has  a  most 
pervading  and  astonishing  influence.  Every  com- 
munity is  like  a  full  vessel  of  water  ;  no  one  drop 
in  it  can  be  moved  without  affecting  every  other 
drop. 

NATUEE  AND   EEASON. 

These  are  the  only  true  teachers,  and  in  propor- 
tion as  we  obey  them  we  discover  the  folly  of  neg- 
lecting those  things  which  concern  human  life, 


86  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

and  involving  ourselves  in  difficulties  about  ques- 
tions that  are  but  mere  notions.  Fancies  beyond 
the  reach  of  the  understanding,  and  which  have 
yet  been  made  the  object  of  belief — these  have 
been  the  source  of  all  the  disputes,  errors,  arid 
superstitions  that  have  prevailed  in  the  world. 
Such  notional  mysteries  cannot  be  made  subser- 
vient to  the  right  uses  of  humanity. 

PURPOSES   OF  LIFE. 

"We  believe  that  human  life  rightly  understood 
and  rightly  used  is  a  beneficent  gift,  and  that  it 
can  be  so  understood  and  used.  It  is  irreconcila- 
ble to  reason  that  man  comes  into  this  world  only 
to  suffer  and  mourn  ;  it  is  from  his  own  ignorance, 
folly,  or  error  that  he  does  so,  whatever  is  said  to 
the  contrary.  He  is  capable  of  informing  himself; 
the  means  of  doing  this  are  within  his  power.  If 
he  were  truly  informed,  he  would  not  have  to 
weep  over  his  follies  and  errors.  It  is  not  pre- 
tended that  every  one  can  escape  at  once,  from  a 
benighted  condition,  and  break  into  the  region  of 
reason  and  good  sense.  But  it  is  most  clear  from 
what  is  well  known  to  have  happened  in  the 
world,  that  each  generation  may  improve  upon 
the  preceding  one,  and  that  each  individual  in 
every  successive  period  of  time,  ma}^  better  know 
the  true  path,  from  perceiving  how  others  have 
gone  before  him. 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  87 

There  can  be  no  miracle  in  this.  It  will,  at 
best,  be  a  slow  progress,  and  the  wisdom  arrived 
at  in  one  age  must  command  the  respect  of  suc- 
ceeding ones,  and  receive  from  them  the  meliora- 
tion which  they  can  contribute.  We  understand 
nothing  of  what  is  called  the  perfectibility  of 
human  nature  ;  but  we  understand  this,  that  if 
human  nature  can  be  made  to  know  wherein  its 
greatest  good  consists,  it  may  be  presumed  that 
this  good  will  be  sought  and  obtained.  Man  was 
formed  on  this  principle,  and  he  acts  on  this  prin- 
ciple, although  he  is  seen  so  frequently  to  make 
the  most  deplorable  and  distressing  mistakes.  If 
it  be  not  admitted  that  mankind  will  always  strive 
to  obtain  whatsoever  seems  to  them  good,  and 
strive  to  avoid  whatsoever  seems  to  them  evil,  then 
of  course  their  moral  teaching  is  in  vain.  If  this 
principle  be  admitted,  the  sole  inquiry  is,  what  is 
good  and  what  is  evil. 

PUNISHMENT. 

Several  benevolent  and  enlightened  authors 
have  endeavored  to  explain  the  use  of  penal  laws, 
and  to  correct  the  ideas  which  formerly  prevailed 
concerning  public  justice.  Punishment  is  no 
longer  considered,  except  by  the  ignorant  and  san- 
guinary, as  vengeance  from  the  injured,  or  expia- 
tion from  the  guilty.  We  now  distinctly  under- 
stand that  the  greatest  possible  happiness  of  the 


88  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

whole  society  must  be  the  ultimate  object  of  all 
just  legislation ;  that  the  partial  evil  of  punish- 
ment is  consequently  to  be  tolerated  by  the  wise 
and  humane  legislator,  only  so  far  as  it  is  proved 
necessary  for  the  general  good.  When  a  crime 
has  been  committed,  it  cannot  be  undone  by  all 
the  art  or  all  the  power  of  man  ;  by  vengeance 
the  most  sanguinary,  or  remorse  the  most  painful. 

The  past  is  irrevocable  ;  all  that  remains  is  to 
provide  for  the  future.  It  would  be  absurd,  after 
an  offence  has  already  been  committed,  to  increase 
the  sum  of  misery  in  the  world  by  inflicting  pain 
upon  the  offender,  unless  that  pain  were  afterwards 
to  be  productive  of  good  to  society,  either  by  pre- 
venting the  criminal  from  repeating  his  offence  or 
by  deterring  others  from  similar  enormities.  With 
this  double  view  of  restraining  individuals,  by  the 
recollection  of  past  sufferings,  from  future  crimes, 
and  of  teaching  others  by  public  example,  to 
expect  and  fear  certain  evils  as  the  necessary 
consequences  of  certain  actions  hurtful  to  society, 
all  wise  laws  are  framed  and  all  just  punishments 
inflicted.  It  is  only  by  the  conviction  that  certain 
punishments  are  essential  to  the  general  security 
and  happiness,  that  a  person  of  humanity  can  or 
ought  to  fortify  his  mind  against  the  natural  feel- 
ings of  compassion. 

These  feelings  are  the  most  painful  and  the 
most  difficult  to  resist,  when,  as  it  sometimes  un- 
avoidably happens,  public  justice  requires  the 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  89 

total  sacrifice  of  the  happiness,  liberty,  and  per- 
haps the  life,  of  a  fellow-creature,  whose  ignorance 
precluded  him  from  virtue,  and  whose  neglected 
or  depraved  education  prepared  him,  by  inevitable 
degrees,  for  vice  and  all  its  miseries.  How  ex- 
quisitely painful  must  be  the  feelings  of  a  humane 
judge,  in  pronouncing  sentence  upon  such  an  un- 
fortunate being !  But  the  law  permits  of  no 
refined  metaphysical  disquisitions.  It  would  be 
vain  to  plead  the  necessitarian's  doctrine  of  an  un- 
avoidable connection  between  the  past  and  the 
future,  in  all  human  actions,  or  perhaps  it  would 
be  more  proper  to  say,  that  the  doctrine  of  neces- 
sity obtains  here,  as  elsewhere ;  for  the  same 
necessity  compels  the  punishment  that  compels 
the  crime. 

BIGHT  DOCTRINE. 

No  man  should  be  delicate  about  asking  for 
what  is  properly  due  him.  If  he  neglects  doing 
so,  he  is  deficient  in  the  spirit  of  independence 
which  he  should  observe  in  all  his  actions.  Rights, 
if  not  granted,  should  be  demanded.  The  selfish 
world  is  little  inclined  to  give  one  his  own,  unless 
he  has  the  manliness  to  claim  it. 

LEARNING   A  TRADE. 

There  are  many  people  who  dislike  the  name  of 
mechanic,  and  who  would,  rather  than  put  their 
children  to  an  honest  trade,  tug  hard  at  their  busi- 


90  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

ness  arid  live  sparingly,  for  the  purpose  of  giving 
them  a  college  education.  They  think  meanly  of 
him  who  wears  a  leather  apron  and  is  not  dressed 
in  the  latest  fashion.  This  we  believe  is  the  rea- 
son why  there  are  so  many  pettifoggers  and  vaga- 
bonds in  the  world.  Many  a  son  has  been  sent  to 
college  with  the  expectation  of  his  parents  highly 
excited,  but  like  the  fable  of  the  mountain,  he 
produced  only  a  mouse.  We  think  highly  of  our 
colleges  and  literary  institutions,  and  rejoice  to 
see  them  prosper,  but  we  are  more  pleased  to  see 
an  individual's  mind  turned  in  a  right  current. 
There  are  hundreds  of  lawyers  who  would  have 
made  better  mechanics  and  have  obtained  a  more 
comfortable  livelihood.  And  we  have  no  doubt 
that  there  are  many  mechanics  who  would  stand 
high  at  the  bar,  had  they  been  blessed  with  a  lib- 
eral education.  But  if  a  child  have  talents  they 
will  not  remain  hid,  and  no  matter  what  his  trade 
or  profession  is,  they  will  sooner  or  later  burst 
forth.  There  are  many  distinguished  individuals 
in  the  literary  world  who  were  bred  to  mechanical 
trades.  Many  of  the  editors  of  our  best-con- 
ducted journals  were  mechanics,  and  do  credit  to 
the  station  they  occupy.  And  our  mechanics  too, 
generally  speaking,  are  the  most  industrious  part 
of  the  community.  They  are  almost  always  busily 
employed.  But  it  is  apt  to  be  otherwise  with  pro- 
fessional men.  They  are  often  idle,  lazy.  It  is 
an  effort  for  them  to  bend  their  minds  to  a  diffi- 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  91 

cult  pursuit.  They  are  well  informed,  because 
they  spend  much  of  their  time  in  reading:  but 
this  is  an  unprofitable  business  unless  we  have 
some  definite  object  in  view. 

In  these  remarks  we  wish  it  not  to  be  under- 
stood that  we  think  lightly  of  professional  men 
generally,  for  we  do  not.  We  wish  to  address 
ourselves  particularly  to  those  parents  who  are 
hesitating  what  occupations  to  give  their  children. 
Are  they  ingenious,  fond  of  mechanical  pursuits? 
Give  them  a  trade.  Do  they  love  to  study,  and 
cannot  give  their  attention  to  anything  else  ? 
Send  them  to  college.  Let  your  children  choose 
themselves  what  trade  or  profession  they  will  fol- 
low, and  what  they  select  will  generally  prove 
the  most  advantageous  in  the  end.  But  never 
think  a  trade  too  humble  for  your  son  to  work  at, 
nor  a  profession  too  important  for  him  to  acquire. 
Let  every  parent  pursue  this  course  with  his  chil- 
dren, and  we  are  confident  there  would  be  less 
unhappiness  and  misery  in  the  world.  You  can 
never  force  a  trade  or  profession  upon  a  child ;  it 
must  be  natural  to  him.  A  disregard  of  a  child's 
inclination  in  this  respect,  has  often  proved  his 
ruin,  or  at  least  unfitted  him  for  the  duties  of  life. 

HOME   CONVERSATION. 

Children  hunger  perpetually  for  new  ideas,  and 
the  most  pleasant  way  of  reception  is  by  the  voice 
and  ear,  not  by  the  eye  and  the  printed  page. 


92  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

The  one  mode  is  natural,  the  other  artificial. 
Who  would  not  rather  listen  than  read?  We  not 
unfrequently  pass  by  in  the  papers  a  full  report 
of  a  lecture,  and  then  go  and  pay  our  money  to 
hear  the  selfsame  words  uttered.  An  audience 
will  listen  closely  from  the  beginning  to  the  end 
of  an  address,  which  not  one  in  twenty  of  those 
present  would  read  with  the  same  attention.  This 
is  emphatically  true  of  children.  They  will  learn 
with  pleasure  from  the  lips  of  parents  what  they 
deem  it  drudgery  to  study  in  the  books ;  and  even 
if  they  have  the  misfortune  to  be  deprived  of  the 
educational  advantages  which  they  desire,  they 
cannot  fail  to  grow  up  intelligent  if  they  enjoy  in 
childhood  and  youth  the  privilege  of  listening 
daily  to  the  conversation  of  intelligent  people. 
Let  parents,  then,  talk  much  and  talk  well  at 
home.  A  father  who  is  habitually  silent  in  his 
own  house,  may  be,  in  many  respects,  a  wise  man, 
but  he  is  not  wise  in  his  silence. 

We  sometimes  see  parents,  who  are  the  life  of 
every  company  which  they  enter,  dull,  silent,  un- 
interesting at  home  among  their  children.  If 
they  have  not  mental  activity  and  mental  stores 
sufficient  for  both,  let  them  first  provide  for  their 
own  household.  It  is  better  to  instruct  children 
and  make  them  happy  at  home,  than  it  is  to  charm 
strangers  or  amuse  friends.  A  silent  house  is  a 
dull  place  for  young  people,  a  place  from  which 
they  will  escape  if  they  can.  The  youth  who 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  93 

does  not  love  home  is  in  danger.  Make  home, 
then,  a  cheerful  and  pleasant  spot.  Light  it  up 
with  cheerful,  instructive  conversation.  Father, 
mother,  talk  your  best  at  home. 


IMPROVEMENT   OF   MANKIND. 

To  attempt  to  improve  mankind  on  any  other 
principle  than  by  a  close,  accurate,  and  un de- 
viating attention  to  facts,  is  as  absurd  and  un- 
availing as  to  expect  that  man,  immersed  in 
ignorance,  and  surrounded  by  every  vicious 
temptation,  shall  be  better,  wiser,  and  happier 
than  when  trained  to  be  intelligent  and  active, 
amid  circumstances  only  which  would  perpetually 
unite  his  interest,  his  duty,  and  his  feelings.  The 
state  of  the  world  will  never  be  materially  im- 
proved until  knowledge  shall  be  more  generally 
diffused,  and  the  multitude  are  taught  to  act 
from  a  just  sense  of  their  own  interest,  rather  than 
from  passion  and  prejudice.  Hitherto,  mankind 
have  scarcely  come  to  the  investigation  of  the 
condition  of  their  being,  with  half  of  their  reason- 
ing powers ;  the  residue  have  been  absorbed  by  a 
legitimatized  superstition,  begotten  in  youth  on 
their  ignorance,  matured  by  precept  and  example, 
and  confirmed  by  surrounding  bigotry. 

The  ideas  of  men  are  acquired,  and  these  ideas 
are  enlarged,  corrected,  and  strengthened  by  intel- 
ligent intercourse ;  they  can  advance  only  by 


94  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

degrees  —  can  attain  to  no  state  of  knowledge  but 
by  a  progression  more  or  less  slow.  After  many 
defective  attempts,  they  are  enabled  to  distin- 
guish, by  comparison,  that  which  is  well  or  ill  of 
every  kind ;  so  that  what  is  called  an  art,  is  but 
the  result  of  reason  and  experience  reduced  to  a 
method.  Whatever  savors  of  religious  supersti- 
tion, either  in  the  arts  or  in  speculative  science, 
can  only  subserve  the  purpose  of  their  restric- 
tion, and  impede  their  course  and  their  progress. 
The  reason  why  the  sciences  have  not  advanced 
more  is,  that  scholars  have  been  afraid  to  depart 
from  the  ideas  entertained  by  the  schools,  lest 
they  should  sacrifice  their  prospects,  or  draw  down 
upon  them  the  ire  of  old-fashioned  professors ; 
and  if  a  man  dare  advance  a  sentiment  with  re- 
spect to  morals  or  religion  at  variance  with  doc- 
trine whipped  into  his  grandfather  a  hundred  and 
fifty  years  ago,  it  is  immediately  said:  "He  is 
wise  above  what  is  written,  "  and  he  is  repre- 
sented as  that  terrible  monster  —  an  infidel. 

While  authority,  prejudice,  and  power  have  per- 
tinaciously contended  that  it  was  necessary  to 
restrict  freedom  of  inquiry ;  that  there  might  be 
too  much  boldness  of  opinion,  and  too  much  lib- 
erty of  intellectual  enterprise  —  the  strong  neces- 
sities and  genuine  interests  of  mankind  have 
slowly  but  steadily  urged  them  onward  to  an  in- 
definite perception  of  their  rights,  and  a  corre- 
sponding assertion  of  claims  to  the  natural  exer- 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  95 

cise  of  their  privileges.  It  is  much  to  be  lamented 
that  too  many  people  even  yet  conceive  that  there 
are  some  opinions  which  ought  not  to  be  tolerated, 
as  they  imagine  that  the  free  expression  of  them 
would  tend  to  disorganize  society,  by  subverting 
what  they  believe  to  be  the  foundation  of  virtue. 
How  can  any  danger  possibly  arise  from  the  unre- 
strained expression  of  any  opinion  whatever, 
where  reason  and  truth  are  left  free  to  combat 
them  ?  It  is  time  the  world  had  done  with  such 
groundless  apprehensions :  they  have  been  sources 
of  infinite  mischief  in  all  ages  and  in  every  coun- 
try. Such  people  appear  to  breathe  the  very 
spirit  of  despotism,  and  act  as  if  they  wish  to 
communicate  it.  It  is  impossible  not  to  infer 
from  their  apprehensions,  that  as  men  increase  in 
knowledge  they  must  see  reason  to  disapprove 
the  systems  established.  How  can  that  mind  be 
constituted  which  contemplates  the  progress  of 
human  knowledge  as  matter  of  regret  or  fear? 
The  wider  the  diffusion  of  knowledge,  the  better 
the  people  are  informed,  the  more  they  under- 
stand—  the  more  likely  they  are  to  see  and  com- 
prehend what  is  for  their  good,  and  the  means  by 
which  that  good  is  to  be  attained ;  the  more  likely 
they  are  to  abstain  from  such  means  as  would  be 
prejudicial  in  their  operation,  and  calculated 
rather  for  the  prevention  than  the  attainment  of 
that  good. 


96  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 


THIS   WOULD. 

We  have  often  said  that  we  thought  it  a  waste 
of  time  and  talent  to  anticipate  our  destiny  beyond 
the  grave,  and  to  make  preparations  for  an  exist- 
ence of  which  we  know  nothing,  and  for  which, 
therefore,  we  cannot  prepare.  Yet  it  is  an  excel- 
lent thing  to  look  before  us,  and  to  be  provident, 
if  we  will  not  look  too  far.  He  who  takes 
thought  for  the  present  moment  only,  is  hardly 
entitled  to  the  character  of  a  rational,  reflecting 
being. 

The  concerns  of  eternity  have  swallowed  up 
much  time  and  money,  and  the  great  concerns  of 
time  have  been  often  neglected.  There  is  one  im- 
portant subject,  whose  investigation  might  prob- 
ably occupy,  with  advantage  to  mankind,  the 
thoughts  and  the  talents  that  are  now  bestowed 
upon  worlds  beyond  the  stars.  It  is  this :  — 

The  civilized  world  in  modern  days,  has  been 
enriched  by  very  wonderful  investigations.  Its 
powers  of  production  have  increased  in  an  aston- 
ishing manner.  It  has  thus  acquired  the  capabil- 
ity of  supplying  all  its  wants  with  much  less  labor 
than  formerly ;  and  if  that  capability  were  alone 
necessary  in  order  to  produce  happiness  and  com- 
fort, the  modern  civilized  world  would  be  most 
marvellously  happy  and  comfortable.  It  is  the 
very  reverse.  Almost  in  proportion  as  men  have 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  97 

learned  to  produce  easily,  has  the  reward  of  their 
exertions  been  lessened ;  and  at  the  present  hour, 
machines  to  save  labor  are  found  to  cause  starva- 
tion to  the  laborer ;  for  the  markets  are  glutted, 
and  employment  fails.  Now,  instead  of  studying 
what  men  tell  us  are  oracles  delivered  to  our 
forefathers  some  thousand  years  ago  by  spirits  of 
the  air,  and  instead  of  imagining  what  may  happen 
to  us  after  sensation  appears  extinct  —  instead,  we 
say,  of  these  supernatural  speculations,  were  it 
not  better  that  we  examine  and  solve,  if  we  can, 
the  following  question : 

Is  there  any  remedy  for  the  frightful  evils  of 
national  abundance? 


A  FUTURE  LIFE. 

The  great  majority  of  mankind  think  that  a 
belief  in  future  existence  is  absolutely  necessary 
to  present  happiness.  We  believe  the  doctrine  to 
be  a  mistake.  Time  a  thousand  years  hence  is 
no  more  to  us  now,  than  time  a  thousand  years 
past.  As  no  event  could  have  harmed  us  when 
we  existed  not,  so  no  event  can  possibly  harm  us 
when  we  are  no  more.  By  anticipating  and  calcu- 
lating too  much  on  future  felicity,  and  dreading, 
or  at  least  fearing,  future  misery,  man  often  loses 
sight  of  present  enjoyments  and  neglects  pi-esent 
duties.  When  men  shall  discover  that  nothing 
can  be  known  beyond  this  life,  and  that  there  is 


98  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

no  rational  ground  for  any  such  belief,  they  will 
begin  to  think  more  of  improving  the  condition 
of  the  human  species.  Their  whole  thoughts  will 
then  be  turned  upon  what  man  has  done,  and 
what  he  can  still  do,  for  the  benefit  of  man..  As 
they  will  be  delivered  from  all  fear  of  invisible 
voluntary  agents,  that  may  do  them  harm,  so  they 
will  no  longer  look  up  to  such  agents  for  help, 
but  they  will  study  more  their  own  powers  and 
the  powers  and  properties  of  Nature.  They  will 
discover  how  much  time  and  labor  are  spent  en- 
tirely uselessly,  and  worse  than  uselessly  —  per- 
niciously ;  that  so  far  from  improving  the  condi- 
tion of  man,  such  labors  only  tend  to  destroy  his 
own  peace,  and  render  him  an  enemy  to  his  fellow- 
man. 

THE    INFLUENCE   OF   WOMAN. 

From  the  cradle  to  the  grave  of  man,  woman 
exercises  an  all-pervading  and  unintermitted  in- 
fluence upon  his  character  and  destiny.  She  calls 
forth  and  directs  his  earliest  knowledge.  All 
that  is  good  in  him,  all  that  is  true,  is  owing  to 
her  watchful  and  tireless  nurture  of  his  instincts. 
In  the  helplessness  of  infancy  woman  is  to  him  a 
Providence,  awakening  in  him  those  feelings, 
which  afterwards  rise  and  expand  to  philanthropy 
and  virtue.  She  is  his  earliest  conception  of  per- 
fect goodness.  Through  the  whole  of  his  mortal 
existence,  a  mother's  love  is  to  him  a  bright  and 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  99 

visible  symbol  of  absolute  excellence,  —  pure,  un- 
selfish, self-sacrificing,  unchanging,  unquenchable; 
it  goes  out  with  him  in  all  the  alternations  of  life, 
—  in  sorrow  and  in  joy,  in  sickness  and  health, 
—  rejoicing  and  sorrowing  with  him  and  for  him 
and  for  him  alone ;  clinging  to  him  with  a  closer 
grasp  when  all  have  deserted  him,  and  because  all 
have  deserted  him,  and  even  in  disgrace  and  in- 
famy not  forsaking  him,  —  love  stronger  than 
pain,  than  death  and  the  grave. 

The  dreams  of  the  young  man  are  of  para- 
dise ;  a  garden  heaven-environed,  fanned  by  wings 
of  angels,  in  which  ever  bloom  flowers  of  celestial 
fragrance,  in  whose  walks  he  hears  the  soft  voices 
of  unseen  spirits.  Yet  the  garden  is  without 
beauty,  the  voices  utter  no  music  unless  there  be 
an  Eve  to  listen  with  him,  and  to  wander  with 
him  among  the  groves  of  the  garden.  In  this 
period  of  the  poetry  of  his  existence,  woman, 
either  for  good  or  evil,  is  nearly  all  in  all,  the 
cynosure  of  his  thoughts  and  feelings.  When  he 
descends  into  the  prose  regions  of  the  business 
and  matter-of-fact  of  life,  he  still  finds  himself 
under  a  moral  necessity  of  taking  woman  as  his 
companion  and  aid.  He  finds  the  walks  of  busi- 
ness empty,  the  crowded  mart  a  desert,  unless 
around  their  precincts  hover  visions  of  beloved 
forms  at  home,  which  light  up  the  desert  and  the 
solitude  with  smiles.  In  every  period  of  his  life 
it  has  been  true,  that :  — 


100  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

"  The  world  was  sad,  the  garden  was  a  wild, 
And  man,  the  hermit,  sighed,  till  woman  smiled." 

Undoubtedly,  the  dreams  of  the  youth,  and  the 
calculations  of  the  man,  are  often  destined  to 
woful  and  disastrous  disappointment.  The  poe- 
try, when  committed  to  paper,  too  often  comes 
out  without  rhyme  or  reason,  intolerable  blank 
verse,  or  miserable,  halting  doggerel.  The  prose, 
too,  is  unreadable,  full  of  uncouth  idioms  and 
false  syntax.  Eve,  after  all,  often  proves  herself 
a  mere  mortal,  and  that  not  of  the  highest  cast. 
The  angel  is  sometimes  a  spirit  of  another  sort 
than  one  of  light.  The  companion  is  occasionally 
one,  with  whom  a  quiet  man  would  be  loth  to 
associate  forever.  But  still,  in  every  circumstance, 
woman  affects,  with  good  or  bad  influences,  the 
condition  and  character  of  man  through  the  whole 
of  life. 

It  is  a  truth,  universally  assumed  and  admitted, 
that  there  is  no  test  of  the  advancement  of  civili- 
zation so  sure  and  infallible,  as  that  afforded  by 
the  position  of  woman  in  society,  the  rank  as- 
signed to  her  in  the  scale  of  social  adjustment. 
It  is  a  just  and  true  test ;  for  civilization,  in  its 
ultimate  analysis,  is  the  overthrow  of  the  law  of 
force.  Wherever  the  law  of  force,  the  right  of 
the  strongest,  prevails,  woman  must  be,  by  the 
physical  laws  of  nature,  inferior  and  degraded. 
As  this  law  recedes,  woman  will  be  exalted,  and 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  101 

the  degree  of  her  elevation  will  be  the  index  of 
the  degree  in  which  the  law  of  force  has  yielded 
to  the  law  of  right.  The  influence  of  woman  is 
a  purely  moral  influence.  Her  physical  constitu- 
tion and  intellectual  temperament  debar  her  from 
any  other.  Her  place  in  society  may,  therefore, 
be  taken  as  a  fair  indication  of  the  relative  pre- 
dominance of  right  and  force. 


OLD   AGE. 

When  the  summer  of  youth  is  slowly  wasting 
away  into  the  nightfall  of  age,  and  the  shadows 
of  the  past  year  grow  deeper  and  deeper,  and  life 
wears  to  its  close,  it  is  pleasant  to  look  back 
through  the  vista  of  time,  upon  the  sorrows  and 
felicities  of  our  earlier  years.  If  we  have  a  home 
to  shelter,  and  hearts  to  rejoice  with  us,  and 
friends  have  been  gathered  together  around  our 
fireside,  then  the  rough  places  of  our  wayfaring 
will  have  been  worn  and  smoothed  away  in  the 
twilight  of  life,  while  the  sunny  spots  we  have 
passed  through  will  grow  brighter  and  more  beau- 
tiful. Happy,  indeed,  are  they  whose  intercourse 
with  the  world  has  not  changed  the  tone  of  holier 
feeling,  or  broken  those  musical  chords  of  the 
heart,  whose  vibrations  are  so  melodious,  so  tender 
and  touching  in  the  evening  of  age. 


102  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 


LIGHT   AND  DARKNESS. 

Two  great  movements  at  the  present  time  stand 
arrayed  in  irreconcilable  hostility.  The  one  tends 
onward  to  the  elevation  of  humanity  in  the  age 
of  universal  wisdom ;  the  other,  backward  to 
primeval  darkness,  superstition,  moral  corruption, 
despotism,  and  the  eternal  stagnation  of  thought. 
From  the  irrepressible  energies  of  the  human  in- 
tellect, still  struggling  fon-  additional  truth,  and 
the  continual  struggle  of  the  indwelling  moral 
sense  against  the  wrongs  and  miseries  of  human 
life,  necessarily  arises  the  party  of  progress,  pro- 
testing against  despotism,  falsehood  and  inhu- 
manity, while  introducing  new  science,  new  phi- 
losophy and  new  forms  of  social  organization  for 
human  welfare. 

The  lower  forms  of  human  development,  the 
animalized  men  whose  perverted  intellect  cherishes 
self-evident  falsehoods,  and  whose  moral  sense  is 
not  disturbed  by  wrongs  and  outrages,  nor  by  the 
sight  of  constant  suffering  and  degradation,  who 
cannot  realize  the  genuine  nature  of  man,  or 
believe  in  the  possibility  of  any  higher  condition 
of  society  than  that  which  has  existed,  are  neces- 
sarily the  antagonists  of  every  movement  which 
seeks  to  realize  a  far  higher  condition  of  knowl- 
edge and  happiness.  The  result  of  the  struggle 
between  these  opposing  powers  cannot  be  doubt- 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  103 

ful,  although  it  may  be  tedious ;  for  notwithstanding 
that  in  ancient  times  all  power  was  in  the  hands  of 
the  despotic  party,  freedom  has  now  sufficient  foot- 
ing on  the  earth,  and  a  sufficiently  secure  lodgement 
in  the  bosoms  of  mankind  to  insure  her  triumph. 

But  the  most  formidable  difficulty  in  the  way 
of  such  a  triumph  arises  from  the  fact  that  the 
legions  of  despotism  are  fully  aware  of  the  doom 
which  must  overtake  them  whenever  the  human 
mind  is  left  free  in  the  acquisition  of  knowledge, 
fully  aware  that  their  power  is  based  upon  delu- 
sion and  superstitious  impressions,  and  that  their 
system  can  be  perpetuated  only  by  perverting  the 
intellect  of  the  young.  Here,  then,  is  the  struggle. 
Shall  the  young  be  free  in  their  education,  or 
shall  they  be  made  the  victims  of  the  power  which 
their  parents  and  teachers  may  tyrannically  use  ? 
In  this  form  is  the  question  now  brought  before 
us  by  that  terrible  power  which  sits  enthroned  at 
Rome,  which  claims  the  allegiance  of  the  entire 
world,  which  demands  a  spiritual,  legal,  and  mili- 
tary supremacy  over  all  forms  of  government, 
whether  democratic  or  monarchical,  and  which,  in 
short,  aspires  to  and  demands  the  dominion  of  the 
world.  A  power,  which,  with  all  its  Jesuitical 
craft  and  pliant  adaptation  to  the  humors  of  man- 
kind, has  not  even  thought  it  necessary  to  veil  its 
real  purpose,  or  to  deny  its  despotic  pretensions. 
Its  bishops  and  priests  and  editors  make  no  secret 
of  the  claims  of  Romanism  to  overrule  all  forms 


104  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

of  government,  and  to  suppress  by  military  power 
all  other  forms  of  religion,  whenever  that  power 
can  be  obtained. 

The  leading  Roman  Catholic  editors  of  France, 
England,  and  the  United  States,  under  the  sanc- 
tion of  the  Roman  Catholic  bishops,  boldly  avow 
that  religious  toleration  is  utterly  incompatible 
with  Romanism,  and  that  their  church  is  of  neces- 
sity intolerant,  that  Roman  Catholics  who  make 
any  profession  of  liberality  or  toleration,  are  doing 
violence  to  the  doctrines  of  their  church  and  utter- 
ing what  they  should  know  to  be  untrue.  And 
while  Romanists  loudly  demand  toleration  and 
freedom  for  the  oppressed  Roman  Catholics  of 
Ireland,  they  as  loudly  insist  upon  maintaining 
religious  and  political  despotism  wherever  Roman- 
ism controls  the  military  power.  Whoever  is 
faithful  to  Rome  and  assists  by  bayonet  and  ball 
in  crushing  Italian  liberty,  and  keeping  down  the 
democracy  of  Europe  by  means  of  prisons,  chains 
and  gibbets,  is  honored  by  the  pope  and  the  entire 
Roman  Catholic  Church  throughout  the  world, 
even  though  his  life  be  notoriously  black  with  all 
the  infamy  which  belongs  to  a  penitentiary  con- 
vict. To  enslave  mankind  by  means  of  cunning 
priestcraft,  by  the  halter,  the  lash,  and  the  dun- 
geon, the  spy  and  the  assassin,  is  the  aim  of  Rome, 
and  in  accomplishing  her  purpose  she  welcomes 
the  co-operation  of  every  despot,  knave,  and  mili- 
tary robber. 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  105 

To  assert  that  any  thorough  Romanist  can  be  a 
Republican,  a  friend  of  toleration,  a  friend  of  hu- 
man progress  in  thought  and  liberty,  or  can  be 
anything  else  than  a  steady  supporter  of  political 
and  mental  despotism,  is  to  contradict  the  univer- 
sal history  of  that  Church,  the  declarations  of  its 
high  authorities,  and  the  admissions  which  its  very 
apologists  and  advocates  have  made,  under  the 
strongest  temptation  to  conceal  and  deny  its  true 
character. 

It  is  therefore  pre-eminently  the  duty  of  those 
who  belong  to  the  advance-guard  of  human  prog- 
ress, who  are  struggling  for  reforms  which  society 
is  not  yet  prepared  to  grant,  and  for  a  philosophy 
which  the  present  century  can  scarcely  adopt,  to 
arouse  themselves  against  the  most  formidable 
enemy  that  reform  has  ever  had  to  contend  with. 
Wherever  Romanism  extends  its  jurisdiction,  there 
is  an  end  to  reform,  to  liberty,  and  to  liberal  phi- 
losophy, which  Romanism  knows  to  be  incompat- 
ible with  its  own  existence.  The  best  of  modern 
literature  is  proscribed  by  Rome,  and  the  practice 
of  phrenology  and  other  sciences  prohibited  by 
the  same  authority. 

Let  us  not  forget,  in  the  midst  of  our  liberty 
and  security,  that  a  power  which  has  come  down 
as  a  black  cloud  from  the  dark  ages,  still  the 
same  infallible,  unchangeable  body,  —  still  the 
open  ally  and  the  principal  supporter  of  despot- 
ism, —  still  the  same  adversary  of  science  as  in  the 


106  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

days  of  Galileo,  is  here  in  our  midst,  with  a  disci- 
pline, unity,  fanaticism,  and  ignorance  in  its  mass- 
es ;  cunning  in  its  leaders,  and  wealth  and  foreign 
support,  possessed  by  no  other  organization,  and 
so  conscious  of  its  strength,  as  to  throw  off  its  dis- 
guise and  confess  its  despotic  aims. 


PRIDE. 

There  is  a  kind  of  pride  which  is  often  mistaken 
for  self-respect.  We  hear  of  honorable  and  of 
laudable  pride.  We  take  pride  to  be  that  self- 
esteem  in  which  a  man  holds  himself.  It  may  be 
founded  in  his  estimation  of  the  qualities  of  his 
mind,  in  his  attainments,  in  his  possessions,  in  his 
strength,  his  beauty,  his  parentage,  or  descent. 
It  may  also  be  founded  in  a  consciousness  of 
virtue,  and  of  having  faithfully  done  one's  duty  in 
all  the  relations  of  life.  It  seems  to  arise  neces- 
sarily, from  comparing  one's  self  with  other  per- 
sons. If  this  be  the  right  meaning  of  pride,  it  is 
very  clear  that  it  is  not  alwa}rs  a  sentiment  which 
entitles  one  to  respect  himself.  A  man  would  be 
thought  to  be  very  unwise,  who  should  openly  de- 
clare that  he  valued  himself,  in  comparison  with 
other  men,  on  account  of  his  wealth,  his  beaut}', 
or  his  family  connection  ;  equally  unwise  if  he 
should  declare  his  opinion  of  himself  to  be,  that 
he  was  superior  to  other  men  in  the  gift  of  natural 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  107 

intellect,  in  the  cultivation  of  it,  or  in  the  practice 
of  the  various  virtues. 

The  common  sense  of  mankind,  founded  on  nat- 
ural reason,  does  not  approve  of  that  self-gratula- 
tion  which  rests  upon  the  accident  of  birth,  of  in- 
heritance, nor  even  upon  the  acquisition  of  fortune 
by  one's  own  industry ;  nor  does  it  approve  of 
that  feeling,  when  founded  upon  qualities  which 
belong  to  the  mind,  rior  even  in  the  practice  of 
the  virtues,  unless  when  manifested  in  a  certain 
manner. 

There  must  be,  in  the  very  nature  of  things, 
some  persons  in  every  community,  large  or  small, 
who  are  superior  to  others  in  these  sources  of  self- 
esteem.  In  every  city,  town,  and  village  in  this 
nation,  there  are  some  persons  who  are  in  posses- 
sion of  some  of  these  causes  of  self-esteem  in  some 
comparative  degree,  and  other  persons  who  have 
the  fewest  or  the  least  of  them.  Those  who  so 
use  their  advantages  as  to  entitle  themselves  to 
the  esteem  of  others,  and  who  are  acknowledged 
to  be  respectable  for  that  use,  may  well  be  entitled 
to  respect  themselves  from  such  causes.  Those 
who  use  them  in  such  a  manner  as  to  announce 
the  feeling  of  superiority  over  others,  and  habitu- 
ally to  offend  the  watchful  feeling  of  self-love,  are 
very  properly  called  the  proud.  It  is  believed 
that  these  views  conform  to  natural  law,  arid  to 
the  necessary  constitution  of  human  society. 


108  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

LIVING   AND   DYING. 

There  are  some  persons  who  see,  in  the  order  of 
succession  inherent  in  animal  and  vegetable  crea- 
tion, that  the  system  is  defective,  and  does  not 
satisfy  "  the  longings  of  the  immortal  soul." 
They  complain  of  the  principle  of  decay ;  of  the 
yellow  leaf  of  autumn ;  of  the  dreariness  of  win- 
ter. They  complain  more  of  the  uncertainty,  and 
sometimes  sudden  termination,  of  human  life ; 
that  the  young  and  the  serviceable  die  ;  that 
death,  at  any  age,  is  a  mournful  and  afflictive 
event.  They  say  that  this  world  is  "  a  vale  of 
tears,"  that  "  man  is  born  to  trouble,  as  the  sparks 
fly  upward,"  that  our  "  days  are  few,  and  full  of 
trouble,"  and  that  there  is  no  happiness  but  in 
heaven,  or  in  another  state  of  existence.  This  is 
not  what  Nature  says.  This  is  the  language  of 
ignorant,  erring,  ungrateful  man.  There  is  no 
one  thing  which  declares  the  wisdom  and  the  good- 
ness of  Nature  more  convincingly,  than  the  pro- 
vision for  the  commencement,  the  duration,  and 
the  end  of  life.  Whatsoever  there  may  seem  to  be 
of  evil  in  it,  is  either  of  man's  own  creating,  or  it 
is  because  he  does  not  or  will  not  exercise  his 
reason.  If  it  were  left  to  man  to  regulate  this 
matter,  what  would  he  please  to  do?  Would  he 
make  everything  that  comes  into  being,  as  vege- 
table, continue  in  it,  and  for  how  long  a  time  ? 
What  would  become  of  the  succession  of  blossoms 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  109 

and  fruits  ?  Would  he  make  his  own  race  immor- 
tal on  the  earth?  What  would  he  do  with  the 
pleasures  and  duties  of  youth,  manhood,  decline 
and  old  age  ?  Would  he  continue  all  in  life,  who 
come  into  it,  indefinitely  ?  How  would  or  could 
any  being  come  into  life,  if  the  laws  of  Nature 
were  deranged?  If  it  were  possible  to  suppose 
that  all  to  whom  life  is  given,  were  to  remain  on 
earth  and  continue  to  multiply,  what  would  life 
come  to  be  ? 

It  better  becomes  complaining  mortals  to  be 
assured  that  Nature  acts  wiser  than  they.  It  is 
their  proper  duty  to  exercise  the  beneficent  gift  of 
reason  to  learn  that  it  is  so ;  that  death  proceeds 
no  less  from  the  goodness  of  Nature,  than  birth ; 
that  man  abuses  or  perverts  the  beautiful  order  of 
succession,  as  he  does  everything  else,  when  igno- 
rant and  disobedient.  If  he  used  his  faculties  in 
accordance  with  reason,  he  would  know  that  from 
this  order  arise  all  the  relations  which  call  forth 
the  highest  moral  perfection  to  which  he  can 
aspire,  all  incitements  to  virtue,  all  the  prompt- 
ings to  self-satisfying  actions,  and  all  the  delights 
of  an  intelligent,  philosophic  mind. 

INTELLECTUAL  PLEASURES. 

Placed  as  mankind  are  in  a  world  filled  with 
beautiful  and  interesting  objects,  and  possessing 
faculties  which  find  their  exercise  and  enjoyment 


110  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

in  the  contemplation  of  these  objects,  it  becomes 
them  to  investigate  their  nature,  in  other  words, 
to  pursue  knowledge.  Surely  it  is  impossible  for 
a  reasonable  man  to  avoid  this  conclusion,  that 
by  cultivating  the  powers  with  which  he  is  en- 
dowed, and  employing  them  on  objects  within  his 
reach,  he  is  not  only  consulting  his  own  happi- 
ness, but  rendering  himself  useful  to  his  fellow- 
men. 

The  variety  and  intensity  of  intellectual  pleas- 
ures must  in  a  great  degree  depend  on  the  number 
of  truths  with  which  the  individual  may  be 
acquainted,  for  by  such  means  only,  combined 
with  reflection,  the  consequence  of  knowledge, 
can  the  powers  of  judgment  be  improved.  Now, 
all  men,  whose  organization  is  not  unusually  im- 
perfect, are  capable  of  acquiring  knowledge  to  an 
extent  of  which,  from  our  present  inconsistent 
system  of  education,  we  can  form  but  an  inade- 
quate idea.  What  is  so  well  calculated  to  enlarge 
and  fill  the  mind  with  admiration  as  astronomy  ? 
And  yet,  some  of  the  truths  in  this  science,  once 
considered  so  abstruse  and  comprehended  only  by 
a  Newton,  are  now  within  the  reach  of  every 
capacity.  When  the  minds  of  the  great  mass  of 
mankind  are  no  longer  permitted  to  lie  waste,  but 
shall  be  properly  cultivated,  and  under  the  genial 
influence  of  equitable  institutions,  a  taste  for  in- 
tellectual enjoyments  will  become  as  general  as 
the  desire  for  bodily  nutriment ;  and  although  the 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  Ill 

want  of  intelligence  may  be  little  felt  by  an  igno- 
rant individual,  yet  it  is  far  more  grievous  than 
want  of  wealth.  The  man  who  is  born  blind, 
knows  not  his  misery  ;  so  the  man  who  is  trained 
up  in  ignorance,  thinks  himself  equal  with  him  of 
superior  intelligence  ;  but  there  is  as  much  differ- 
ence in  this  respect  between  man  and  man,  as 
between  man  and  animal. 

It  is  on  this  account  that  it  is  of  so  much  im- 
portance in  the  education  of  youth  to  encourage 
their  instinctive  taste  for  the  beauty  and  sublimity 
of  Nature  ;  while  it  opens  to  the  young  a  source 
of  pure  and  permanent  enjoyment,  it  has  conse- 
quences on  the  character  and  happiness  of  their 
coining  lives  which  they  are  unable  to  foresee. 
It  is  to  provide  them,  amid  all  the  agitations  and 
trials  of  society,  with  a  gentle,  unreproaching 
friend  whose  voice  is  ever  in  alliance  with  good- 
ness and  virtue,  and  which,  when  once  understood, 
is  able  both  to  soothe  misfortune  and  to  reclaim 
from  folly.  It  is  to  identify  them  with  the  happi- 
ness of  that  nature  to  which  they  belong,  and  to 
give  them  an  interest  in  every  species  of  being 
which  surrounds  them  ;  and  amid  the  hours  of 
curiosity  and  delight,  to  awaken  those  latent  feel- 
ings of  benevolence  and  sympathy  from  which  all 
the  moral  and  intellectual  greatness  of  man  finally 
arises ;  it  is  a  companion  to  him  which  no  misfor- 
tune can  repress,  no  clime  destroy,  no  enemy  alien- 
ate, no  despotism  enslave.  It  is  at  home  a  friend, 


112  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

abroad  an  introduction,  in  solitude  a  solace,  in  soci- 
ety an  ornament;  it  chastens  vice,  it  guides  virtue, 
and  it  gives  at  once  a  grace  and  an  ornament  to 
genius. 

Let  a  man  but  have  a  taste  for  books  and  the 
means  of  gratifying  it,  and  he  can  hardly  fail  of 
being  a  happy  man,  unless  indeed  we  place  in  his 
hands  a  most  perverse  selection.  We  place  him 
in  contact  with  the  best  society  in  every  period  of 
history,  with  the  wisest,  wittiest,  the  tenderest, 
the  bravest,  and  the  purest  characters  that  have 
adorned  humanity.  We  make  him  an  inhabitant 
of  all  nations,  a  contemporary  of  all  ages.  It  is 
hardly  possible  but  the  character  should  take  a 
higher  and  better  tone  from  the  constant  habit  of 
associating  in  thought  with  a  class  of  thinkers  who, 
to  say  the  least,  are  above  the  average  of  humanity. 
It  is  morally  impossible  but  that  the  manners 
should  take  a  tinge  of  good  breeding  and  civiliza- 
tion from  having  constantly  before  one's  eyes,  the 
way  in  which  the  best  bred  and  best  informed 
men  have  talked  and  conducted  themselves  in 
their  intercourse  with  each  other.  There  is  a 
gentle  but  perfectly  irresistible  coercion  in  a  habit 
of  reading,  well  directed,  over  the  whole  tenor  of 
a  man's  character  and  conduct,  which  is  not  the 
less  effectual  because  it  is  really  the  last  thing  he 
dreams  of.  It  civilizes  the  conduct  of  men,  and 
suffers  them  not  to  remain  barbarous.  A  well- 
conducted  system  of  education  can  hardly  fail, 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  113 

also,  of  making  an  industrious  man.  Where  the 
mind  has  been  trained  to  activity,  the  body  neces- 
sarily follows  its  incitements,  while  habits  of 
sottishness  will  be  deserted  for  more  congenial  in- 
tellectual exercises. 

EVILS. 

There  are  many  evils  which  deform  and  dis- 
grace society,  and  which  do  their  full  part  in 
making  this  a  world  of  evil.  There  is  squalid, 
miserable  poverty  ;  there  is  disgusting,  lamentable 
vice  ;  there  is  horrible  crime  and  public  execution. 
All  these  things,  it  is  said,  are  inevitable ;  they 
spring  from  the  very  nature  of  man,  and  from  the 
laws  which  compel  him  to  dwell  in  social  connec- 
tion. It  is  questionable  whether  there  must  be 
poverty ;  surely,  there  need  not  be  vice  and  crime. 
The  whole  number  of  Quakers  in  the  United 
States  is  many  thousands.  When  did  any  one  see 
a  Quaker  begging  in  the  streets  ;  or  an  intoxicated 
Quaker  ;  or  any  one  of  this  class  of  citizens,  at  the 
criminal  bar  ?  Are  not  these  people  engaged  in 
the  common  affairs  of  the  world;  are  not  they 
merchants,  mechanics,  artificers,  mariners,  and 
otherwise  employed  in  the  ordinary  business  of 
life  ?  They,  like  the  rest  of  us,  are  subject  to  the 
temptations  and  perversions  incident  to  our  state 
of  being.  Here,  then,  is  a  clear  demonstration, 
that  even  without  the  aid  of  civil  power,  but  by 
the  mere  force  of  moral  influence,  there  is  a  class 


114  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

of  men,  in  the  midst  of  society,  who  do  escape 
disgraceful  poverty,  and  who  are  free  from  vice 
and  crime. 

DUTY  AND  HAPPINESS. 

The  difficulty  with  religionists  is  this:  — 
They  try  to  make  mankind  believe  that  duty 
calls  one  way,  while  all  the  dictates  of  reason  and 
common  sense  seem  to  teach  their  interest,  that  is, 
their  happiness,  requires  them  to  take  a  different 
course  ;  hence  a  conflict  ensues  between  duty  and 
happiness,  and  this  is  the  reason  why  so  many 
pursue  the  latter,  and  so  few  the  former  course. 

It  is  time,  therefore,  high  time,  indeed,  that 
these  teachers  should  be  brought  to  see  that  any 
course  that  does  not  lead  to  happiness,  —  happi- 
ness that  is  seen,  —  happiness  that  can  be  realized 
for  a  certainty,  is  not,  and  cannot  be  a  duty ;  but 
if  it  does  lead  to  happiness,  then  it  is  for  one's 
own  interest  or  profit  to  pursue  it. 

Let  all  our  would-be  reformers  take  this  course. 
Say  nothing  about  duty,  or  even  moral,  much  less 
religious  obligation ;  say  nothing  about  God 
or  his  law,  about  which  men  have  disputed  so 
long,  to  no  purpose.  But  let  them  point  out  the 
natural  and  philosophical  consequences  of  all 
moral  actions  as  far  as  they  are  known,  or  their 
consequences  can  be  traced;  and  let  them  frame 
all  their  laws  agreeably  to  these  rules,  and  then 
leave  mankind  to  think  what  they  please,  speak 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  115 

and  write  what  they  think,  and  do  what  they 
choose,  so  long  as  they  transgress  no  law ;  but  if 
they  do,  then  let  them  abide  the  consequences  of 
that,  as  they  must  of  all  other  of  their  actions. 
No  man  will  strive  knowingly  to  promote  his  own 
misery ;  and  therefore  if  he  does  it,  it  must  be  ow- 
ing to  ignorance,  or  some  ungoverned  passion,  or 
both. 

UNIVERSAL  BENEVOLENCE. 

Humanity  has  lessons  full  of  salutary  instruc- 
tion, and  calculated  to  enforce  civilization  upon 
the  intellectual  powers  of  man.  The  spiritualiza- 
tion  of  human  existence  has  been  an  injury  to 
man ;  it  has  taught  him  to  spurn  at  matter,  to 
contemn  its  power  and  ridicule  its  essence ; 
whereas,  on  the  contrary,  sound  philosophy,  un- 
folding as  it  does  the  connection  between  man 
and  Nature,  is  fitted  to  produce  in  the  mind  senti- 
ments of  respect  and  tranquillity ;  respect  for  the 
aggregate  of  existence  to  which  he  belongs,  and 
tranquillity  at  the  idea  of  an  eternal  interest  (as  a 
race)  in  this  indestructible  mass.  The  successive 
changes  through  which  he  is  destined  to  pass,  and 
the  impossibility  of  relinquishing  his  connection 
with  Nature,  should  inspire  him  with  feelings  of 
universal  sympathy,  and  with  sentiments  of  uni- 
versal benevolence.  Human  reason  has  an  impor- 
tant duty  to  perform  in  the  institutions  which  it 
establishes ;  for  these  institutions  will  affect  in 


116  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

succession  all  the  portions  of  matter  destined  to 
pass  through  an  organized  condition. 

It  is,  no  doubt,  difficult  to  convince  the  human 
understanding  of  this  physical  or  universal  con- 
nection, or  to  make  man  see  his  true  interest  in 
this  respect.  It  is,  nevertheless,  a  solemn  and 
philosophic  truth  that  our  sensations  are  at  this 
moment  suffering  under  the  cruel  lash  of  ancient 
institutions ;  that  the  whole  animal  world  are 
reciprocating  with  each  other  a  system  of  exten- 
sive and  perpetual  wretchedness,  resulting  princi- 
pally from  that  contempt  which  has  been  thrown 
upon  the  capacity  of  material  substance,  and  our 
ignorance  of  an  important  and  an  indestructible 
connection  with  the  great  body  of  Nature.  If 
man  had  a  comprehensive  view  of  the  successive 
changes  of  his  existence,  and  a  correct  idea  of  the 
nature  of  sensation  continually  resulting  from  the 
renovation  of  organic  forms,  sympathy  or  univer- 
sal benevolence  would  become  irresistibly  impres- 
sive upon  his  moral  powers  and  form  the  basis  of 
his  subsequent  conduct. 

This  principle  should  also  be  extended  to  the 
whole  universal  world,  so  as  to  exclude  acts  of 
cruelty  and  annihilate  every  species  of  injustice. 
The  child  who  is  permitted  in  early  life  to  run  a 
pin  through  a  fly,  is  already  half  prepared  to  run 
a  dagger  through  the  heart  of  his  fellow-creature. 
It  is  the  duty  of  parents  and  the  business  of  in- 
struction, to  correct  the  ferocious  errors  of  former 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  117 

ages,  and  inspire  society  with  sentiments  of  sym- 
pathy and  universal  goodness.  But  to  do  this 
with  effect,  political  institutions  the  world  over 
must  be  changed  and  placed  upon  the  broad  basis 
of  universal  liberty  and  universal  justice.  This 
would  be  a  work  of  time,  but  it  is  as  certain  in 
the  ultimate  issue  of  things,  as  the  progress  of  the 
earth  around  the  sun,  or  the  general  revolution 
of  the  planetary  system.  The  individual  who 
withholds  his  intellectual  contribution  in  this  re- 
spect, is  either  misinformed,  or  a  traitor  in  the 
great  cause  of  human  existence. 

TRUTH  —  TEACHINGS   OF   NATURE. 

The  discovery  and  the  development  of  Truth  as 
it  really  exists  in  the  system  of  Nature,  is  of  the 
highest  importance  to  the  true  interests  of  man- 
kind. But  how  to  present  this  truth  to  the  view 
of  the  mind  in  a  manner  calculated  to  attract  its 
attention,  is  difficult  for  us  to  say.  For  although 
the  uncorrupted  faculties  of  man  cannot  be  op- 
posed to  the  attractive  charms  of  truth,  or  the 
brilliant  beauties  of  her  native  appearance,  yet  so 
numerous  are  the  causes,  and  so  powerful  their 
operation,  which  serve  to  mislead  the  mind  and 
produce  injurious  impressions  upon  it,  that  per- 
spicuity and  regularity  of  thought  are  essentially 
deranged,  and  the  clearness  of  scientific  deduc- 
tions are  swallowed  up  in  the  gulf  of  error  and 


118  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

deception.  This  process,  prejudicial  to  our  men- 
tal operations,  commences  in  the  early  part  of  our 
existence,  and  proceeds  with  a  regularity  of  mis- 
chievous consequences,  to  the  period  when  man 
assumes  the  dignity  of  intellectual  independence  ; 
and  fortunate  indeed  is  that  individual  who  arrives 
to  this  elevated  condition  of  mental  existence. 
The  energy  of  thought,  when  applied  to  the  dis- 
covery of  truth,  is  naturally  calculated  to  sweep 
away  the  rubbish  of  error,  and  cut  up  those  deep- 
rooted  prejudices  which  have  so  long  retarded  the 
useful  improvement  of  our  species.  The  grand 
object  of  philosophic  philanthropists  should  be,  to 
extend  the  sphere  of  mental  energy,  to  enlarge 
the  circle  of  its  influence,  and  to  oppose  the  perse- 
vering activity  of  mind  to  the  fallen  rancor  of 
superstition  and  the  destroying  fury  of  fanaticism. 
Religious  enthusiasm,  bigotry,  and  superstition, 
conjoined  with  the  strong  arm  of 'political  despot- 
ism, have  rendered  men,  in  the  past  ages  of  the 
world,  the  degraded  instruments  of  their  own 
pernicious  and  destructive  purposes ;  it  is  here  we 
must  seek  for  the  source  of  many  human  misfor- 
tunes, and  the  perpetuation  of  those  prejudices  by 
which  the  body  and  mind  are  both  enslaved.  It 
is  true  that  the  natural  imbecility  and  imperfec- 
tion of  our  faculties,  and  the  extensive  nature 
and  variety  of  those  moral  and  physical  combina- 
tions from  which  science  is  to  be  deduced,  evince 
the  strong  probability  that  man  may  frequently  be 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  119 

erroneous  in  the  conclusions  which  he  draws  from 
certain  premises,  because  the  force  of  his  faculties 
is  not  adequate  to  a  full  and  complete  investiga- 
tion of  the  compounded  and  diversified  relations 
of  our  existence  ;  but  these  natural  obstacles  to 
the  clear  deductions  of  science,  are  neither  of  a 
discouraging  nor  an  insurmountable  nature. 

There  is  no  system  either  of  education,  politics, 
or  religion,  which  ought  to  be  excepted  from  the 
severest  scrutiny  of  the  human  mind,  or  the 
minutest  examination  which  the  human  faculties 
can  bestow  upon  it ;  yet  habit  and  custom  of  long 
duration  have  so  strongly  attached  man  to  his 
errors,  that  he  reluctantly  relinquishes  those  tenets 
which  serve  only  to  disturb  his  peace  and  destroy 
his  happiness;  while  the  privileged  impostors  of 
the  world,  or  those  who  feast  upon  the  continua- 
tion of  error  and  prejudice,  unite  their  strongest 
exertions  to  persuade  man  that  his  most  impor- 
tant interests,  in  time  and  eternity,  depend  upon 
the  preservation  of  ancient  and  unnatural  estab- 
lishments, which  in  fact,  are  as  destructive  to  hu- 
man felicity  as  they  are  derogatory  to  the  divine 
purity  of  supreme  intelligence. 

That  happiness  is  to  be  preferred  to  misery; 
pleasure,  to  pain  ;  virtue,  to  vice  ;  truth,  to  false- 
hood ;  science,  to  ignorance ;  order,  to  confusion  ; 
and  universal  good,  to  universal  evil, —  are  positions 
that  no  rational  being  can  possibly  controvert. 
They  are  positions  to  which  mankind,  in  all  ages 


120  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

and  countries,  must  yield  assent.  They  are  posi- 
tions, the  truth  of  which  is  never  denied,  the  es- 
sence of  which  is  never  controverted  ;  it  is  the  form 
or  application  only  which  has  been  the  cause  of  so- 
cial contention,  and  not  the  reality  or  excellence 
of  the  axioms  themselves. 

The  universality  of  the  principle  of  sensation, 
generates  universal  capacity  of  enjoying  pleasure, 
and  suffering  pain.  This  circumstance  modifies  the 
character  of  human  actions,  and  renders  it  neces- 
sary that  every  man  should  regard  every  other  man 
with  an  eye  of  strict  justice,  with  a  tender  and  deli- 
cate sensibility,  with  a  constant  reference  to  the 
preservation  of  his  feelings,  and  the  extension  of  his 
happiness ;  in  a  word,  that  the  exercise  of  eternal 
justice  should  be  constantly  reciprocated  by  all  the 
individuals  of  the  same  species.  If  we  assume  to 
ourselves  the  pretended  right  of  injuring  the  sensa- 
tions, the  moral  sentiments,  or  general  happiness 
of  our  neighbors,  they  have,  undoubtedly,  an 
equal  right  to  commit  the  same  violence  upon  us ; 
this  would  go  to  the  destruction  of  all  right,  to 
the  total  subversion  of  all  justice  ;  it  would  reduce 
society  instantly  to  a  state  of  warfare,  and  intro- 
duce the  reign  of  terror  and  misery. 

It  is  a  contradiction  of  terms  to  assert  that  any 
man  has  a  right  to  do  wrong;  the  exercise  of 
such  a  pretended  right  is  the  absolute  destruction 
of  all  right,  and  the  first  human  being  who  com- 
mits this  violation  has  already  prepared  for  him- 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  121 

self  a  hell  of  retaliation,  the  justice  of  which  his 
own  mind  can  never  deny.  It  is,  therefore,  incon- 
sistent with  the  truth  to  say  that  there  is  no  such 
thing  as  a  general  standard  of  moral  excellence ; 
this  standard  has  a  real  existence  in  the  construc- 
tion of  human  nature ;  it  is  ascertained  and  regu- 
lated by  the  rule  of  reciprocal  justice. 

\ 

PLEASUEES. 

Sensible  pleasures,  —  or  the  gratification  of  the 
senses,  are  to  be  avoided  when  they  tend  to  in- 
jure the  corporal  and  mental  faculties.  They  are 
to  be  avoided  when  they  tend  to  the  injury  of  our 
neighbors,  or  are  calculated  to  produce  in  our- 
selves, habits  of  stratagem  and  deceit.  Thus  far 
all  systems  of  morality  and  rational  conduct  are 
agreed.  But  the  preachers  of  self-denial  add  to 
these  limitations  a  prohibition  to  the  frequent  in- 
dulgence of  sensible  pleasures,  from  the  danger  of 
suffering  ourselves  to  set  too  great  a  value  on 
them,  and  to  postpone  the  best  and  most  elevated, 
to  the  meanest.  Having  assumed  this  new  princi- 
ple of  limitation,  there  is  no  visionary  and  repul- 
sive extreme  to  which  these  sectaries  have  not  in 
some  instances  proceeded.  They  have  regarded 
all  sensible  pleasures  as  a  deduction  from  the  pur- 
ity and  dignity  of  the  mind,  and  they  have  not 
abstained  from  invective  against  intellectual  pleas- 
ure itself.  They  have  taught  me:i  to  court 


122  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

persecution  arid  calumny.  They  have  delighted 
to  plant  thorns  in  the  path  of  human  life.  They 
have  represented  sorrow,  anguish,  and  mortifica- 
tion, as  the  ornaments  and  honor  of  our  existence. 
Now  it  is  a  mistake,  we  think,  to  suppose  that 
sensible  pleasures  and  intellectual  ones  are  by 
any  means  incompatible.  He  that  would  have 
great  energy,  cannot  perhaps  do  better  than  to 
busy  himself  in  various  directions,  and  to  culti- 
vate every  part  of  his  nature.  Man  is  a  little 
world,  as  it  were,  within  himself,  and  every  por- 
tion of  that  world  is  entitled  to  attention.  A 
wise  man  wishes  to  have  a  sound  body,  as  well  as 
a  sound  mind.  He  would  wish  to  be  a  man  at 
all  points.  For  this  purpose  he  would  exercise 
and  strengthen  the  muscles  of  every  part  of  his 
frame.  He  would  prepare  his  body  to  endure 
hardship  and  vicissitude.  He  would  exercise  his 
digestive  powers.  He  would  cultivate  the  deli- 
cacy of  the  organs  of  taste.  He  would  not 
neglect  the  proper  and  right  use  and  enjoyment 
of  all  the  faculties  and  functions  of  his  being. 
There  is  a  harmony  and  a  sympathy  through 
every  part  of  the  human  machine.  A  vigorous 
and  animated  tone  of  body  contributes  largely 
to  the  advantage  of  the  intellect,  and  an  im- 
proved state  of  intellect  heightens  and  refines 
our  sensible  pleasures.  A  modern  metaphy- 
sician, of  great  reputation  in  the  religious  world, 
has  maintained  life  to  be  an  unnatural  state, 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  123 

and  death  the  genuine  condition  of  man.  If 
this  thesis  is  to  be  admitted,  it  seems  to  follow 
that  true  wisdom  would  direct  us  to  that  pro- 
ceeding which  tended  most  to  conform  with  life, 
and  to  maintain  in  activity  every  portion  of 
our  frame  and  every  branch  of  our  nature.  It  is 
thus  that  we  shall  most  effectually  counterwork 
an  enemy  who  is  ever  in  wait  for  us. 

Another  argument  in  favor  of  a  certain  degree 
of  attention  to  be  paid  to,  and  cultivation  to  be 
bestowed  upon,  sensible  pleasures  is,  that  the 
sensations  of  our  animal  frame  make  an  important 
part  of  the  materials  of  our  knowledge.  It  is 
from  sense  that  we  must  derive  those  images 
which  so  eminently  elucidate  every  department  of 
science.  One  of  the  great  objects,  both  of  natural 
science  and  morality,  is  to  judge  of  our  sensible 
impressions.  The  man  who  has  not  yielded  a  due 
attention  to  them  would  in  vain  attempt  to  form 
an  enlightened  judgment  on  the  question  we 
are  here  attempting  to  discuss.  There  is  a  vast 
variety  of  topics  that  he  would  be  disqualified  to 
treat  of  or  to  estimate. 

Excessive  drinking  usually  leads  men  into  de- 
"bauched  company  and  unprofitable  conversation. 
It  inevitably  impairs,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree, 
the  intellectual  faculties,  and  probably  always 
shortens  the  life  of  the  person  addicted  to  it,  a 
circumstance  particularly  to  be  regretted  when 
that  life  is  eminently  a  useful  one.  Gaming,  be- 


124  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

sides  the  bad  company  to  which  it  inures  a  man,  — 
of  persons  who  can  scarcely  be  said  to  redeem 
their  guilt  in  this  respect  by  many  virtues,  —  ac- 
customs him  to  some  of  the  worst  habits  of  mind, 
induces  him  to  seek  and  to  rejoice  in  the  misfort- 
unes of  others. 


LIBEETY  —  REASON  —  JUSTICE  —  SOCIETY. 

Every  man  has  some  idea  of  the  advantages  of 
liberty ;  but,  for  the  most  part,  he  has  been  in- 
structed to  believe  that  men  would  tear  eacli 
other  to  pieces,  if  they  had  not  priests  to  direct 
their  consciences,  and  lords  to  consult  for  their 
subsistence,  and  kings  to  steer  them  in  safety 
through  the  inexplicable  dangers  of  the  political 
ocean.  But,  whether  they  be  misled  by  these  or 
other  prejudices,  whatever  be  the  fancied  terror 
that  induces  them  quietly  to  submit  to  have  their 
hands  bound  behind  them,  and  the  scourge  vi- 
brated over  their  heads,  all  these  are  questions  of 
reason.  Truth  may  be  presented  to  them  in  such 
irresistible  evidence,  perhaps  by  such  just  degrees 
familiarized  to  their  apprehension,  as  ultimately 
to  conquer  the  most  obstinate  prepossession. 

The  Armenians  in  the  East  are  as  universally 
distinguished  among  the  nations  with  whom  they 
reside,  as  the  Jews  in  Europe ;  but  the  Armenians 
are  as  much  noted  for  probity  as  the  Jews  for 
thrift.  What  resemblance  is  there  between  the 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  125 

ancient  and  the  modern  Greek,  between  the  old 
Romans  and  the  present  inhabitants  of  Italy, 
between  the  Gauls  and  the  French?  Diodorus 
Siculus  describes  the  Gauls  as  particularly  given 
to  taciturnity,  and  Aristotle  affirms  that  they  are 
the  only  warlike  nation  who  are  negligent  of 
women. 

Can  there  be  any  state  of  mankind  that  renders 
them  incapable  of  the  exercise  of  reason?  Can 
there  be  a  period  in  which  it  is  necessary  to  hold 
the  human  species  in  a  condition  of  pupilage? 
If  there  be,  it  seems  but  reasonable  that  their 
superintendents  and  guardians,  as  in  the  case  of 
infants  of  another  sort,  should  provide  the  means 
of  their  subsistence  without  calling  upon  them 
for  the  exertion  of  manual  industry.  Wherever 
men  are  competent  to  look  the  first  duties  of 
humanity  in  the  face,  and  to  provide  for  their 
defence  against  the  invasions  of  hunger  and  the 
inclemencies  of  the  sky,  there  they  will,  beyond 
all  doubt,  be  found  equally  capable  of  every  other 
exertion  that  may  be  necessary  to  their  security 
and  welfare.  Present  to  them  a  constitution  that 
shall  put  them  into  a  simple  and  intelligible  way 
of  directing  their  own  affairs,  adjudging  their  con- 
tests among  themselves,  and  cherishing  in  their 
bosoms  a  manly  sense  of  dignity,  equality,  and  in- 
dependence, and  you  need  not  doubt  that  prosper- 
ity and  virtue  will  be  the  result.  We  will  sup- 
pose that  it  is  right  for  one  man  to  possess  a 


126  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

greater  portion  of  property  than  another,  either 
as  the  fruit  of  his  industry  or  the  inheritance  of 
his  ancestors.  Justice  obliges  him  to  regard  this 
property  as  a  trust,  and  calls  upon  him  maturely 
to  consider  in  what  manner  it  may  best  be  em- 
ployed for  the  increase  of  liberty,  virtue,  and 
knowledge.  He  has  no  right  to  dispose  of  a 
shilling  of  it  at  the  will  of  his  caprice  merely.  So 
far  from  being  entitled  to  well-earned  applause 
for  having  emploj^ed  some  scanty  pittance  in  the 
service  of  philanthropy,  he  is  in  the  eyes  of  justice 
a  delinquent  if  he  withhold  any  portion  from  that 
service.  In  the  same  manner  as  his  property,  he 
should  hold  his  person  as  a  trust  in  behalf  of 
mankind.  He  is  bound  to  employ  his  talents,  his 
understanding,  his  strength,  and  his  time,  for  the 
production  of  the  greatest  quantity  of  general 
good.  Such  are  the  declarations  of  justice ;  so 
great  is  the  extent  of  duty. 

Society  is  nothing  more  than  an  aggregation  of 
individuals.  Its  claims  and  its  duties  must  be 
the  aggregate  of  their  claims  and  duties  —  the  one 
no  more  precarious  and  arbitrary  than  the  other. 
What  has  society  a  right  to  require  from  a  man  ? 
The  question  is  already  answered:  everything 
that  it  is  his  duty  to  do.  Anything  more  ?  Cer- 
tainly not.  Can  they  change  eternal  truth,  or 
subvert  the  nature  of  man  ?  Can  they  make  it 
his  duty  to  be  intemperate,  to  maltreat  or  assassin- 
ate his  neighbor  ?  Again :  what  is  it  that  society  is 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  127 

bound  to  do  for  its  members?  Everything  that 
can  contribute  to  their  welfare.  But  the  nature 
of  their  welfare  is  denned  by  the  nature  of  mind. 
That  will  most  contribute  to  it  which  enlarges 
the  understanding,  supplies  incitements  to  virtue, 
fills  us  with  a  generous  consciousness  of  our  own 
independence,  and  carefully  removes  whatever  can 
impede  our  exertions. 


IMAGINATION. 

This  word  —  imagination  — is  derived  from  the 
Latin  word  imago,  an  image,  which  signifies  the 
resemblance  of  some  original  thing.  There  can 
be  no  proper  action  of  this  faculty  but  as  an  ade- 
quate resemblance  of  some  palpable  object,  as 
there  can  be  no  image  or  resemblance  wher.e  there 
is  no  original ;  but  its  qualities  may  be  varied  by 
new  combinations.  Pythagoras,  who  discovered 
the  property  of  the  hypothenuse,  did  not  create 
it ;  Faustus,  who  discovered  or  invented  printing, 
did  not  create  the  properties  of  the  press;  and 
Lycurgus,  who  established  the  constitution  of 
Sparta,  created  no  new  faculty  in  man  or  Nature. 

The  inhabitant  of  this  world,  in  the  develop- 
ment of  his  energy  to  augment  good  and  diminish 
evil  on  earth,  can  receive  no  aid  from  the  people 
of  Saturn,  or  the  number  of  the  stars ;  and  hence, 
it  would  be  better  for  man,  admonished  by  this 
lesson,  to  study  himself  on  the  ample  experience 


128  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

of  sensation  as  the  all-sufficient  science  of  self  and 
Nature.  All  qualities  or  powers  must  have  sub- 
stance or  extension  to  exist  in ;  and  thought  or 
mind  is  the  substance  of  the  brain  in  action, 
though  the  understanding  of  man  may  be  incapa- 
ble of  discovering  by  what  subtle  process  matter 
modifies  itself  into  thought. 

The  word  "ghost"  is  a  phantasm,  involving 
a  contradiction,  and  means  a  dead  body  perform- 
ing the  functions  of  life.  The  word  "apparition  " 
implies  the  contradiction  that  one  and  the  same 
body  can  be  or  exist  in  two  places  at  the  same 
time,  as  when  a  sick  man  in  New  York  appears  to 
a  friend  in  Boston,  to  predict  the  death  of  either 
of  the  parties  ;  and  though  the  prediction  may 
happen  to  come  true,  the  falsehood  of  the  vision 
or  phantasm  would  still  be  the  same.  The  truth 
of  the  prediction  is  nothing  more  than  an  extraor- 
dinary concurrence  of  circumstances  which  exist 
in  the  chapter  of  accidents  or  chances. 

Almost  every  man  is  in  the  habit  of  thinking 
of  his  absent  friends,  in  their  relative  circum- 
stances of  health,  riches,  happiness,  sickness, 
adversity,  and  death.  In  that  part  of  the  globe 
called  Europe,  about  two  hundred  millions  of 
people  are  living  in  intellectual  intercourse,  by 
means  of  the  press,  thinking  of  the  fate  of  absent 
friends  in  every  possible  combination  of  circum- 
stances. So  long  as  their  conjectures  are  false 
and  disappointed,  they  are  passed  over  silently ; 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  129 

but  should  one  come  true  in  the  course  of  twenty 
years,  the  papers  of  the  civilized  world  proclaim 
the  occurrence  as  a  miracle,  when  it  would  be  more 
miraculous  if  such  wonderful  occurrence  did  not 
take  place,  considering  the  number  of  dreams  and 
the  length  of  time. 

Let  us  look  at  this  matter  a  little  more  closely. 
Every  hundredth  person,  we  will  suppose,  is  en- 
gaged in  thinking  of  the  fate  of  an  absent  friend ; 
here,  then,  we  have  two  millions  of  people,  three 
hundred  and  sixty-five  times  in  the  year,  for  the 
course  of  twenty  years,  thinking,  dreaming,  and 
seeing  visions.  One  receives  a  letter  from  a  sick 
friend,  and  thinks  he  is  dead  ;  another  dreams  he 
died  on  such  a  night;  a  third  saw  an  apparition, 
that  is,  an  idea  came  across  his  mind  that  his 
friend  died  at  a  certain  instant  of  time,  which 
proved  to  be  true.  This  occurrence,  however  ex- 
traordinary, is  not  at  all  unaccountable  or  miracu- 
lous, because,  taking  into  the  estimate  the  number 
of  two  millions  that  think  every  day  in  the  year 
upon  the  same  subject,  it  would  not  be  above  ten 
or  twenty  chances  to  one,  that  a  series  of  events 
should  occur  at  the  same  instant  in  the  course  of 
twenty  years,  as  that  a  person  should  think  of  the 
death  of  his  friend  at  the  very  day  or  hour  when 
he  died,  particularly  if  in  ill  health,  or  exposed  to 
danger ;  or  that  a  concurrence  of  events  should 
take  place,  such  as  a  vision  or  a  freak  of  fancy, 
or  a  noise  at  the  door  by  the  cat,  which  awoke 


130  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

the  dreamer  about  the  time  when  his  friend 
expired. 

This  plain  and  simple  calculation  of  chances  to 
account  for  predictions  will  convince,  we  should 
suppose,  any  intelligent  and  reflecting  man,  that 
any  prediction  of  events  which  cannot  connect  the 
means  with  its  end  is  nothing  more  than  a  conjec- 
ture at  hazard,  which  the  table  of  chances  may 
verify  without  causing  wonder  or  stupefaction  in 
rational  or  well-disciplined  understandings. 

The  word  "witch"  is  another  phantasm  when 
used  with  the  import  of  vulgar  apprehensions, 
which  means  an  ugly  old  woman  in  possession  of 
supernatural  power ;  that  is,  having  power  above 
her  nature,  or  having  what  she  cannot  have,  —  a 
palpable  contradiction.  This  observation  will 
apply  to  the  whole  vocabulary  of  phantasms,  such 
as  magic,  prophecy,  inspiration,  incantation,  etc., 
etc.,  which  are  all  words  of  contradictory  import, 
signifying  ends  without  means,  or  power  beyond 
possibility. 

The  fancy  is  an  arbitrary  creator  of  notions,  or 
thoughts  without  object,  useful  to  amuse  in  poetry 
or  instruct  in  fables.  Its  power  is  augmented  by 
reading  books  of  fiction,  and  its  evil  influence  in 
disposing  the  mind  to  superstition  and  credulity 
might  be  guarded  against  by  an  avowal  of  its 
fictitious  nature  by  those  authors  who  use  it  to 
personify  all  modes  of  existence. 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  131 


LITERATURE  —  EDUCATION  —  JUSTICE. 

There  are  three  principal  causes  by  which  the 
human  mind  is  advanced  towards  a  state  of  per- 
fection ;  literature,  or  the  diffusion  of  knowledge 
through  the  medium  of  discussion,  written  or 
oral ;  education,  or  a  system  for  the  early  impres- 
sion of  right  principles  upon  the  hitherto  unpreju- 
diced mind  ;  and  political  justice,  or  the  adoption 
of  any  principle  of  morality  and  truth  into  the 
practice  of  a  community. 

Literature  has  reconciled  the  whole  thinking 
world  respecting  the  great  principles  of  the  sys- 
tem of  the  universe,  and  extirpated  on  this  sub- 
ject the  dreams  of  romance  and  the  dogmas  of 
superstition.  Literature  has  unfolded  the  nature 
of  the  human  mind,  and  Locke  and  others  have 
established  certain  maxims  respecting  man,  as 
Newton  has  done  respecting  matter,  that  are  gen- 
erally admitted  as  unquestionable.  Discussion 
has  ascertained  with  tolerable  perspicuity  the  pref- 
erence of  liberty  over  slavery.  Local  prejudice 
had  introduced  innumerable  privileges  and  prohi- 
bitions upon  the  subject  of  trade  ;  speculation  is 
beginning  to  ascertain  that  freedom  is  more  favor- 
able to  her  prosperity. 

Where  must  the  preceptor  himself  have  been 
educated,  who  shall  elevate  his  pupil  above  all  the 
errors  of  mankind  ?  If  the  world  be  full  of  in- 
trigue and  rivalship  and  selfishness,  he  will  not  be 


132  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

wholly  disinterested.  If  falsehood  be  with  man- 
kind at  large  reduced  to  a  system,  recommended 
by  the  prudent,  commanded  by  the  magistrate, 
enforced  by  moralists  and  practised  under  a  thou- 
sand forms,  the  individual  will  not  always  have 
the  simplicity  to  be  sincere,  or  the  courage  to  be 
true.  If  prejudice  has  usurped  the  seat  of  knowl- 
edge, if  law  and  religion  and  metaphysics  and 
government  be  surrounded  with  mystery  and  arti- 
fice, he  will  not  know  the  truth,  and  therefore 
cannot  teach  it ;  he  will  not  possess  the  criterion, 
and  therefore  cannot  furnish  it  to  others. 

Superstition,  an  immoderate  fear  of  shame,  and 
a  false  calculation  of  interest  are  errors  that  have 
been  always  attended  with  the  most  extensive  con- 
sequences. How  incredible,  at  the  present  day, 
do  the  effects  of  superstition  exhibited  in  the 
Middle  Ages,  the  horrors  of  excommunication  and 
interdict,  and  the  humiliation  of  the  greatest  mon- 
archs  at  the  feet  of  the  pope,  appear !  What  can 
be  more  contrary  to  our  customs  and  modes  than 
that  dread  of  disgrace  which  formerly  induced  the 
Brahmin  widows  of  Hindostan  to  destroy  them- 
selves upon  the  funeral  pile  of  their  husbands  ? 
What  more  glaringly  immoral  than  the  mistaken 
idea  which  leads  multitudes  in  commercial  coun- 
tries to  regard  fraud,  falsehood,  and  circumven- 
tion as  the  truest  policy?  But,  however  powerful 
these  errors  may  be,  the  empire  of  truth,  if  once 
established,  would  be  far  greater.  A  system  of 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  133 

government  that  should  lend  no  sanction  to  ideas 
of  fanaticism  and  hypocrisy  would  soon  accustom 
its  subjects  to  think  justly  upon  topics  of  moral 
worth  and  importance.  A  state  that  should  ab- 
stain from  imposing  contradictory  and  impracti- 
cable oaths,  and  thus  perpetually  stimulating  its 
members  to  concealment  and  perjury,  would  soon 
become  distinguished  by  plain  dealing  and  vera- 
city. A  country  in  which  places  of  dignity  and 
confidence  should  cease  to  be  at  the  disposal  of 
faction,  favor,  and  interest,  would  not  long  be  the 
residence  of  servility  and  deceit. 

If  every  man  could  with  perfect  facility  obtain 
the  necessaries  of  life,  and,  obtaining  them,  feel 
no  uneasy  craving  after  its  superfluities,  tempta- 
tion would  lose  its  power.  Private  interest  would 
visibly  accord  with  public  good,  and  civil  society 
become  all  that  poetry  has  feigned  of  the  golden 
age. 

WORDS  —  IDEAS. 

Language,  in  all  its  dialects,  has  been  gradually 
formed  by  the  various  wants  and  whims  of  human 
beings.  That  it  required  no  supernatural  inspira- 
tion must  be  evident  from  the  more  recondite  dis- 
coveries and  complicated  inventions  of  human  in- 
genuity. The  function  of  speech,  that  is,  its 
nature  and  end,  is  to  communicate  the  operations 
of  one  mind  to  the  intelligence  of  another.  Cer- 
tain words  are  established  as  the  representative 


134  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

signs  of  things,  and  when  uttered  by  the  mouth 
or  exhibited  in  writing  or  printing,  we  receive 
them  as  the  exposition  of  things  or  their  corres- 
ponding thoughts. 

All  Nature  is  comprehended  in  the  term  physics, 
which  means  the  laws  or  course  of  matter  and 
power,  —  that  is,  substance  and  its  qualities  as 
exhibited  in  their  phenomena  and  verified  by  ex- 
perience. The  word  metaphysics  has  been  used 
and  abused  as  a  vain  and  futile  distinction  applied 
to  qualities  alone,  as  to  heat  in  the  body  of  the 
sun,  or  thought  in  the  body  of  man.  The  quality 
of  heat  is  as  substantial  a  phenomenon,  presented 
to  the  sense  of  feeling,  as  the  body  of  the  sun  to  the 
sense  of  sight ;  they  are  both  physical  essences, 
and  stand  in  no  need  of  the  useless  distinction 
of  the  word  metaphysics.  In  the  same  manner, 
the  quality  of  thought  in  the  human  brain  is  as 
much  a  physical  action  as  the  circulation  of  the 
blood,  and  exhibits  its  phenomena  with  the  same 
palpable  sense  and  intelligence,  to  be  verified  by 
the  test  of  experience,  and  therefore  the  word 
metaphysics  is  a  misapplied  and  useless  distinc- 
tion in  real  knowledge,  and  should  be  confined  to 
those  impenetrable  secrets  of  Nature  which  are 
concealed  from  the  human  species,  because  they 
would  avail  nothing,  if  understood  or  known, 
towards  producing  the  general  harmony  of  exist- 
ence ;  that  is,  the  augmentation  of  good,  and  the 
diminution  of  evil  in  the  present  state  of  being. 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  135 

The  mythology  of  gods,  goddesses,  celestial  sen- 
ates, demons,  etc.,  drawn  from  human  imagina- 
tion, is  vague  hypothesis,  characterized  by  a  set  of 
words  without  meaning,  and  sounds  without  sense, 
which  can  have  no  import  in  human  language,  as 
they  represent  no  phenomena,  no  objects,  and 
no  relations  amenable  to  the  test  of  experience. 
The  words  virtue  and  vice,  or  good  and  evil,  are 
perpetually  interchanging  their  limits,  and  vary- 
ing their  identities  in  the  incessant  mutability  of 
circumstances.  Falsehood,  or  lying,  is  a  great 
vice ;  but  the  suppression  of  truth  may  sometimes 
be  required  by  necessity. 

Secrecy  is  often  the  basis  of  confidence,  and  a 
great  virtue.  War  is  no  doubt  an  evil ;  but  if  the 
advancement  of  right,  and  diminution  of  wrong  in 
the  mundane  system  require  war  in  the  defence 
of  social  and  political  life,  it  becomes  a  good,  as 
peace  would  become  an  evil,  if  adopted  in  such  a 
case. 

The  first  rule  to  make  language  represent  reali- 
ties instead  of  phantoms  may  be  exemplified  by 
considering  the  oratorical,  rhetorical,  and  eloquent 
absurdities  of  metaphysicians,  from  the  great  pro- 
totype Plato,  down  to  the  modern  Locke.  What 
volumes  of  erudite  contention  in  words,  simply, 
have  been  produced  and  disciplined  by  logic,  both 
scholastic  and  natural,  so  called  by  Locke,  to 
prove  that  we  have  ideas  in  the  mind  without 
things,  their  prototypes !  that  is,  copies  without 


136  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

originals  —  downright  contradictions,  calculated 
to  deprave  human  reason,  and  produce  a  state  of 
universal  confusion.  The  mind  has  no  power  to 
create  original  objects  or  ideas ;  and  even  their  re- 
mote and  projected  relations,  which  appear  as  sim- 
ple acts  of  thought,  are  all  suggested  by  the 
objects  themselves  in  their  capacities,  and  there- 
fore copied,  and  not  created  by  the  fiat  of  the 
mind ;  and  the  most  complicated  systems  of  moral 
institutions  are  nothing  but  the  development  of 
human  energy,  detected  and  discovered  by  genius 
in  the  suggested  and  projected  relations  of  the 
capacity  or  the  constitution  of  man. 

The  other  essential  rule  of  the  art  of  reasoning 
is,  to  consider  in  full  evidence  all  the  parts  or 
subjects  of  propositions.  The  moral  science  re- 
sembles the  mathematical  science ;  no  part  in  a 
demonstration  can  be  fully  understood  unless  we 
embrace  the  whole ;  and  as  the  elements  and  sys- 
tem of  the  first  have  never  yet  been  fully  under- 
stood by  mankind,  all  its  words  and  terms  are  but 
dialects  of  local  education,  customs,  and  knowl- 
edge ;  and  whoever  attempts  to  pass  beyond  these 
must  speak  to  his  countrymen  an  unknown  lan- 
guage, and  can  be  intelligible  only  to  travellers 
who  have  no  country,  or  philosophers  who  have  no 
prejudice.  When  we  take  any  proposition  into 
contemplation,  we  should  meet  it  in  the  calm  tem- 
perament with  which  we  view  a  mathematical 
problem.  No  man  feels  a  bias  or  emotion  upon 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  187 

such  inquiry,  and  therefore  the  question  is  solved 
with  irrefutable  accuracy. 


MAKE  THE  BEST   OP   EVERYTHING. 

An  important  lesson  to  learn,  and  the  earlier  in 
life  it  is  learned  the  better,  is  to  make  the  best  of 
everything.  As  the  old  adage  says,  "  There  is  no 
use  in  crying  over  spilt  milk."  Misfortunes  that 
have  already  happened,  cannot  be  prevented,  and, 
therefore,  the  wise  man,  instead  of  wasting  his 
time  in  regrets,  will  set  himself  to  work  to  recover 
his  losses.  The  mistakes  and  follies  of  the  past 
may  teach  us  to  be  more  cautious  for  the  future ; 
but  they  should  never  be  allowed  to  paralyze  our 
energies,  or  surrender  us  to  weak  repinings.  A 
millionaire  of  this  city  (Boston)  tells  the  story 
that  at  one  period,  early  in  his  career,  he  had  got 
almost  to  the  verge  of  bankruptcy  ;  "  But,  "  says 
he,  "I  ploughed  a  deep  keel,  and  kept  my  own 
counsel, "  and  by  these  means  he  soon  recovered. 
Had  this  man  given  way  to  despair ;  had  he  sat 
down  to  bewail  his  apparently  impending  ruin,  he 
might  now  have  been  old  and  poor,  instead  of  a 
capitalist  in  a  leading  position.  He  adds  that  his 
characteristic  was  that  through  life,  in  all  circum- 
stances, he  did  the  best  that  he  could,  whatever 
that  was,  consuming  no  time  in  useless  regrets 
over  bad  speculations. 

The   rule    holds  good,  not  only  in  mercantile 


138  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

affairs,  but  in  the  whole  conduct  of  life.  The 
man  who  is  born  to  indifferent  circumstances  will 
never  rise,  if,  abandoning  himself  to  envy  of  those 
more  blessed  by  fortune,  he  goes  about  sullenly 
complaining,  instead  of  endeavoring  to  use  to  the 
best  of  his  ability  what  few  advantages  he  has. 
The  patriot,  deploring  the  decline  of  public  and 
private  morals,  will  never  succeed  in  reforming 
the  commonwealth  if  he  stickles  for  visionary  or 
impracticable  measures,  rejecting  those  more  mod- 
erate ones  which  are  really  attainable.  The 
friend  will  soon  have  no  intimates  at  all  if,  mak- 
ing no  allowance  for  the  infirmities  of  human  nat- 
ure, he  judges  too  harshly  the  conduct  of  his 
acquaintances.  Many  a  matrimonial  separation 
might  be  avoided,  if  husband  and  wife,  instead  of 
taking  offence  at  each  other  at  slight  provocation, 
would  dwell  rather  on  the  good  traits  their  partner 
displays.  There  are  riot  a  few  statesmen  now  liv- 
ing in  retirement,  who  might  have  still  gratified 
their  ambition  by  serving  the  public,  if  they  had 
understood,  amid  the  intrigues  and  disappoint- 
ments of  public  life,  how  to  make  the  best  of 
everything.  We  never  see  a  man  bewailing  his 
ill  fortune  without  something  of  contempt  for  his 
weakness.  No  individual  or  nation  ever  rose  to 
eminence  in  any  department,  which  gave  itself  up 
to  this  childish  behavior.  Greatness  can  only  be 
achieved  by  being  superior  to  misfortunes,  and  by 
returning  again  and  again  to  the  assault  with  re- 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  139 

newed   energy.     And   this   it   is    which   is  truly 
making  the  best  of  everything. 


INTELLECTUAL  IMPROVEMENT. 

The  citizens  of  this  republic  enjoy  a  greater 
degree  of  freedom,  apparently,  than  any  other  peo- 
ple on  the  globe  ;  and  yet,  the  fundamental  basis 
of  our  Constitution,  that  "  All  men  are  created 
equal,"  is  every  day  practically  violated.  As  it 
respects  what  are  termed  the  common  people,  we 
are  theoretically  free,  but  practically  we  are  slaves, 

—  slaves  to  unequal  laws,  — slaves  consequently  to 
the  rich,  by  whose  influence  and  for  whose  benefit, 
those  laws  are  framed.     We  are  slaves  to  their 
will  and  pleasure,  and  harnessed  to  their  car  of 
party.     The  only  hope  of  deliverance  rests  on  the 
march  of  knowledge,  that  gives  light  to  the  under- 
standing, calls  the    moral  energies  of   man    into 
action,  elevates    him    to  his  proper  dignity,  and 
will  eventually  nerve  his  arm  with  power  to  break 
the  fetters  from  his  limbs,  that  will  enable  him  to 
stand  forth  in  the  full  growth  of  human  intellect 

—  a  FREEMAN. 

We  may  depend  upon  it,  if  ever  mankind  shall 
enjoy  the  full  extent  of  political  freedom  and 
equality,  they  must  be  acquired  by  individual 
exertion,  to  form  such  characters  as  will  qualify 
us  to  contend  for,  and  make  us  worthy  to  inherit 
the  blessing,  as  the  only  means  of  wresting  it 


140  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHT*. 

from  the  clutches  of  aspiring  demagogues.  If  the 
poor  shall  ever  be  emancipated  from  the  oppres- 
sion of  the  rich,  and  peace,  plenty,  and  content- 
ment bless  the  community,  —  if  bickering  and 
strife  be  ever  banished,  and  pure  social  happiness 
prevail,  the  great  and  important  work  must  be 
accomplished  by  the  same  great  means,  INTELLEC- 
TUAL IMPROVEMENT. 


ACTIONS  —  DUTIES —  VIRTUES. 

The  bad  practice  of  duelling  was  originally  in- 
vented by  barbarians  for  the  gratification  of 
revenge.  It  was  probably  at  that  time  thought 
a  very  happy  project  for  reconciling  the  odious- 
ness  of  malignity  with  the  gallantry  of  courage. 
But  in  this  light  it  is  now  generally  given  up. 
Men  of  the  best  understanding  who  at  this  day 
lend  it  their  sanction  are  unwillingly  induced  to 
do  so,  and  engage  in  single  combat  merely  that 
their  reputation  may  sustain  no  slander. 

Which  of  these  two  actions  is  the  truest  test  of 
courage ;  the  engaging  in  a  practice  which  our 
judgment  disapproves,  because  we  cannot  submit 
to  the  consequences  of  following  that  judgment, 
or  the  doing  what  we  believe  to  be  right,  and 
cheerfully  encountering  all  the  consequences  that 
may  be  annexed  to  the  practice  of  virtue  ?  With 
what  patience  and  satisfaction  can  a  man  of  virtue 
think  of  cutting  off  the  life  of  a  fellow-mortal,  or 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  141 

of  putting  an  abrupt  close  to  all  the  generous 
projects  he  may  himself  conceive  for  the  benefit 
of  others,  merely  because  he  has  not  firmness 
enough  to  awe  impertinence  and  falsehood  into 
silence  ? 

The  worst  actions,  the  most  contrary  to  abstract 
justice  and  utility  have  no  doubt  been  done  from 
conscientious  motives.  Ravillac,  Clement,  Dam- 
iens,  had  their  minds  deeply  penetrated  with  anx- 
iety for  the  eternal  welfare  of  mankind  ;  for  this 
object  they  sacrificed  their  ease,  and  cheerfully 
exposed  themselves  to  torture  and  death.  It  was 
benevolence,  probably  —  as  taught  by  the  Chris- 
tian religion  of  the  time  —  that  contributed  to 
light  the  fires  of  Smithfield,  and  point  the  daggers 
of  Saint  Bartholomew.  The  inventors  of  the  gun- 
powder plot  in  England  were,  in  general,  men 
remarkable  for  the  sanctity  of  their  lives  and  the 
severity  of  their  manners.  And  so,  likewise,  the 
murderer  of  President  Lincoln  may  have  thought, 
from  the  influences  by  which  he  was  surrounded, 
that  he  was  right  and  acting  conscientiously  in 
becoming  an  assassin.  Thus  it  is  that  an  action, 
though  done  with  the  best  intention  in  the  world, 
may  have  nothing  in  it  of  the  nature  of  virtue. 

John  Calvin,  we  will  suppose,  was  clearly  and 
conscientiously  persuaded  that  he  ought  to  burn 
Michael  Servetus.  Ought  lie  to  have  burned  him 
or  not?  If  he  burned  him,  he  did  an  action  detes- 
table in  its  own  nature ;  if  he  refrained,  he  acted 


142  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

in  opposition  to  the  best  judgment  of  his  own 
understanding  as  to  a  point  of  moral  obligation. 
It  is  absurd,  however,  to  say,  that  it  was  in  any 
sense  his  duty  to  burn  him.  Therefore,  we  con- 
clude that  the  most  essential  part  of  virtue  con- 
sists in  the  incessantly  seeking  to  inform  ourselves 
more  accurately  upon  the  subject  of  utility  and 
right.  Whoever  is  greatly  misinformed  respect- 
ing this  subject,  is  indebted  for  his  error  to  a 
defect  in  his  philanthropy  and  zeal. 

Since  absolute  virtue  may  be  out  of  the  power 
of  a  human  being,  it  becomes  us  in  the  meantime 
to  lay  the  greatest  stress  upon  a  virtuous  disposi- 
tion, which  is  not  attended  with  the  same  ambig- 
uity. A  virtuous  disposition  is  of  the  utmost 
consequence,  since  it  will  in  the  majority  of  in- 
stances be  productive  of  virtuous  actions;  since 
it  tends,  in  exact  proportion  to  the  quantity  of 
virtue,  to  increase  our  discernment  and  improve 
our  understanding;  and  since,  if  it  were  but  uni- 
versally propagated,  it  would  immediately  lead  to 
the  great  end  of  virtuous  actions,  the  purest  and 
most  exquisite  happiness  of  intelligent  beings. 

From  these  simple  principles  we  may  deduce 
the  moral  equality  of  mankind.  We  are  partakers 
of  a  common  nature,  and  the  same  causes  that 
contribute  to  the  benefit  of  one,  contribute  to  the 
benefit  of  another.  Our  senses  and  faculties  are 
of  the  same  denomination.  Our  pleasures  and 
pains  will  therefore  be  the  same.  We  are  all  of 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  143 

us  endowed  with  reason,  able  to  compare,  to 
judge,  and  to  infer.  The  improvement,  therefore, 
which  is  to  be  desired  for  the  one  is  to  be  desired 
for  the  other.  We  shall  be  provident  for  our- 
selves, and  useful  to  each  other,  in  proportion  as 
we  rise  above  the  atmosphere  of  prejudice.  The 
same  independence,  the  same  freedom  from  any 
such  restraint  as  should  prevent  us  from  giving 
the  reins  to  our  own  understanding,  or  from  utter- 
ing upon  all  occasions  whatever  we  think  to  be 
true,  will  conduce  to  the  improvement  of  all. 

The  thing  really  to  be  desired,  is  the  removing, 
as  much  as  possible,  arbitrary  distinctions,  and 
leaving  to  talents  and  virtue  the  field  of  exertion 
unimpaired.  We  should  endeavor  to  afford  to  all, 
the  same  opportunities  and  the  same  encourage- 
ment, and  to  render  justice  the  common  interest 
and  choice.  Persecution  cannot  persuade  the 
understanding,  even  when  it  subdues  our  resolu- 
tion. It  may  make  us  hypocrites,  but  cannot 
make  us  converts.  The  government,  therefore, 
which  is  anxious  above  all  things  to  imbue  its  sub- 
jects with  integrity  and  virtue  will  be  the  far- 
thest in  the  world  from  discouraging  them  in  the 
explicit  avowal  of  their  sentiments.  It  is  only  by 
giving  a  free  scope  to  these  excursions,  that 
science,  philosophy,  and  morals  have  arrived  at 
their  present  degree  of  perfection,  or  are  capable 
of  going  on  to  that  still  greater  perfection,  in  com- 
parison with  which  all  that  has  been  already  done, 
will  perhaps  appear  inferior  and  childish. 


144  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 


MOTHERS   AND    CHILDREN. 

If  it  be  a  fact  — and  we  believe  it  is  generally 
conceded  —  that  extraordinary  men  always  have 
extraordinary  mothers,  or  women  of  uncommon  or 
superior  minds,  then  it  follows  that  in  order  to 
improve  mankind,  we  must  improve  womankind; 
or  perhaps  we  should  say,  improve  the  latter,  first. 
Mothers,  much  more  than  fathers,  mould  the  dis- 
position and  character  of  their  children ;  and  con- 
sequently, as  an  intelligent  lady  lately  observed 
at  a  public  meeting,  "  when  mothers  are  properly 
educated,  children  will  be  brought  up  properly." 
She  was  exactly  right.  It  is  a  good,  useful,  secu- 
lar education  that  women  most  need,  and  not 
religion,  —  an  education  that  shall  teach  them  a 
knowledge  of  all  those  laws  of  their  being  on 
which  health,  life,  happiness,  prosperity,  content- 
ment, usefulness,  longevity,  in  short,  everything 
that  makes  life  worth  having,  necessarily  depends. 

What  is  a  belief  in  the  "Trinity,"  or  "Unit}-," 
or  the  "Virgin  Mary,"  or  the  "Thirty-nine  Arti- 
cles," and  all  the  rest  of  the  dogmas  and  creeds 
of  the  churches,  both  Protestant  and  Catholic,  in 
comparison  with  the  possession  of  a  good,  strong, 
vigorous,  handsome,  healthy  constitution,  and  the 
knowledge  how  to  take  care  of  it?  Why,  to  our 
mind,  the  former  is  to  the  latter  as  mere  dross  to 
pure  gold ;  and  yet,  in  the  religious  world,  the 
"  house  we  live  in,  "  or  the  body,  is  hardly  worth 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  145 

minding,  while  the  "  mansions  in  the  sky, "  which 
"  no  eye  hath  seen  "  and  probably  never  will  see, 
are  the  only  things  deserving  human  attention. 
"  So  runs  the  world  away,"  and  humanity  is 
cheated,  fooled,  humbugged,  and  plundered,  while 
living,  and  at  death  is  pointed  to  the  imaginary 
Utopia  above  the  clouds,  for  the  enjoyment  of 
that  happiness,  which,  if  society  was  rightly  man- 
aged, might  be  enjoyed  here,  and  the  possession  of 
which  would  make  our  earth  a  paradise,  and  hell 
a  fable.  Will  humanity  ever  enjoy  this  happi- 
ness? We  hope  so,  for  it  is  "a  consummation 
devoutly  to  be  wished,"  but  it  is  almost  like  hop- 
ing against  hope  to  expect  it ;  for  when  a  man 
arises  in  society,  whose  love  for  humanity  super- 
sedes his  respect  for  churches  and  creeds,  the 
majority,  who  are  always  religious,  become 
alarmed,  and  making  common  cause  as  it  were 
against  the  daring  innovator,  exclaim,  "This 
man  is  an  infidel ;  come,  let's  kill  him  ! " 

But,  though  this  is  a  part  of  our  subject,  we 
have  somewhat  disgressed  from  the  leading  idea 
with  which  we  started,  which  was,  the  improve- 
ment of  mothers  and  children  ;  two  very  impor- 
tant branches  of  humanity,  without  whom  the 
world  would  come  to  a  standstill. 

Now  if  it  be  a  fact,  as  careful  observers  say  it 
is,  that  by  the  manners  of  the  children,  we  may 
judge  of  the  temper  of  the  mother,  then  of  course 
her  proper  education  by  improving  herself  im- 


146  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

proves  her  offspring ;  thus  making  intellect,  char- 
acter, and  organization  to  a  great  degree,  if  not 
entirely  or  wholly,  hereditary.  Washington's 
mother  was  a  superior  woman  ;  so  was  Jefferson's, 
Franklin's,  Bonaparte's,  and  so  were  the  mothers 
of  all  the  distinguished  men  who  have  made  their 
mark  on  their  country  and  the  world  and  after 
generations.  And  here  we  are  reminded  of  the 
truthful  saying,  as  we  believe,  of  that  great  and 
good  man,  the  late  Robert  Owen,  who,  while  faith- 
fully laboring  for  more  than  half  a  century,  and 
at  an  expense  in  money  of  half  a  million  of  dol- 
lars, as  a  social  reformer,  to  benefit  the  condition 
of  the  workingmen  of  England,  adopted  the  follow- 
ing as  his  motto,  rule,  and  principle  of  moral  and 
social  action  and  reform :  "  The  characters  of 
men  are  formed  for  them,  and  not  %  them."  We 
have  often  heard  religious  people  scout  this  idea  as 
very  foolish,  yet  to  our  mind  it  is  one  of  the  best, 
because  truest  maxims  ever  uttered  ;  and  we  are 
altogether  mistaken  if  we  have  not  seen  it  proved 
correct  in  many  instances.  How  else,  we  would 
be  glad  to  know,  are  we  to  account  for  the 
wealth,  prosperity,  fame,  leisure,  enjoyment  of  one 
class  of  people,  and  the  poverty,  vice,  crime,  mis- 
ery, toil,  and  wretchedness  of  another  and  a 
larger  class?  Do  people  really  desire  the  former, 
and  wish  to  avoid  the  latter  things  ?  Undoubtedly. 
Then  how  comes  it  about  that  so  many  possess 
the  latter,  and  so  few  the  former  ?  In  both  cases 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  147 

it  is  owing  to  the  force  of  circumstances,  and  we 
shall  be  satisfied  of  this  fact  in  proportion  as  we 
become  acquainted  with  the  individual  history  of 
people  belonging  to  these  two  classes.  It  seems  to 
us  as  clear  as  the  simplest  sum  in  arithmetic  that, 
given  the  social  circumstances  of  a  community  or 
neighborhood,  it  is  easy  to  determine  their  moral 
and  intellectual  condition.  But  we  need  not 
speculate  theoretically  on  this  point,  for  Mr. 
Owen  has  demonstrated  it  by  the  practical  logic 
of  incontrovertible  facts.  For  a  period  of  nearly 
twenty  years  he  was  the  governor  or  manager  of 
a  laboring  population  of  three  thousand,  whose 
social  circumstances  were  made  easy,  pleasant,  and 
agreeable,  all  their  wants  being  satisfied.  The 
consequence  was  there  was  no  poverty,  no  igno- 
rance, no  excessive  toil,  none  of  the  misery  and 
wretchedness  of  the  outside  world,  experienced  in 
his  village  (New  Lanark) ;  the  inhabitants  were 
prosperous,  contented,  happy,  and  moral,  so  moral, 
in  fact,  that  when  commissioners  of  Parliament 
visited  that  town,  among  others,  to  report  the 
number  of  criminals,  they  reported  that  in  Mr. 
Owen's  town  there  were  no  criminals.  He  had 
surrounded  his  people  with  such  favorable  circum- 
stances that  they  had  no  inducement  to  commit 
crime,  and  hence  they  led  moral  lives.  Here  is 
the  secret,  and  what  circumstances  have  done  for 
New  Lanark,  they  will  do  for  other  localities; 
since  as  the  evils  of  society  are  all  of  human  iu- 


148  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

stead  of  heavenly  origin,  a  human  remedy  will 
remove  them,  and  nothing  else  can.  So  when  the 
doctrine  of  "  circumstances  "  is  properly  under- 
stood and  appreciated,  it  will  be  seen  to  be  the 
only  true  panacea  for  social  evils,  and  that  as  it 
contemplates  the  improvement  of  women  as  well 
as  men,  it  will  also  benefit  children,  and  thus  all 
three  classes  will  be  saved  with  a  reasonable,  a 
practical,  and  a  true  salvation.  It  is  of  no  use  to 
look  to  heaven  to  find  a  remedy  for  the  ills  of  this 
life  ;  because,  being  of  the  "  earth,  earthy,"  they 
can  only  be  cured  by  earthly  means. 

AMUSEMENTS   ON   SUNDAY. 

The  fact  that  public  exercises  are  not  counte- 
nanced on  Sunday,  except  those  which  are  strictly 
of  a  religious  nature,  leads  to  a  public  evil  of  which 
we  would  complain,  namely,  that  as  a  large  pOE- 
tion  of  our  young  men  do  not  feel  any  interest  in 
religious  exercises,  and  consider  all  the  time  thus 
spent  as  so  much  wearisome  confinement,  they  are 
accustomed  to  neglect  them  one  half  the  day  and 
to  devote  that  time  to  some  hurtful  practice,  for 
which  they  are  not  condemned  because  the  fact 
is  hid  from  observation. 

We  are  all,  probably,  well  acquainted  with  the 
fact,  that  in  Puritanical  communities,  although 
there  may  be  less  vice  than  in  other  places,  there 
is  not  so  muck  less  as  there  appears  to  be.  An 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  149 

over-strictness  in  regard  to  the  pleasures  of  man- 
kind, while  it  diminishes  public  vice,  increases 
private  vice,  though  perhaps  not  in  exactly  the 
same  ratio.  Hence  in  the  New  England  States 
there  is  probably  more  concealed  vice  than  in( 
France,  though  probably  the  sum  of  public  and' 
private  vices  added  together  is  greater  in  the 
latter  country.  There  is  no  propensity  in  the 
human  heart,  that  we  are  aware  of,  to  indulge 
in  vice  AS  SUCH.  There  is  simply  a  desire  for 
pleasure,  and  this  love  of  pleasure  will  lead  to 
vice  or  innocent  indulgence,  just  according  to  the 
nature  of  the  laws  and  customs  of  the  commu- 
nity. Men  will  have  pleasures  and  amusements 
of  one  kind  or  another,  on  Sundays  as  well  as  on 
week  days  ;  but  these  need  not  be  vicious  unless 
the  bad  customs  of  society  render  them  such. 

Now  there  are  two  opposite  kinds  of  society  in 
which  vice  will  be  resorted  to  as  an  amusement. 
First,  it  will  be  resorted  to  in  those  communities 
in  which  all  amusements  of  every  kind  are  con- 
demned, except  those  which  arise  from  toil  and 
the  practice  of  devotion,  as  they  were  in  the  New 
England  States  under  our  ancestors,  and  still  are 
in  some  old  villages.  Secondly,  it  will  be  resorted 
to  in  those  communities  in  which  vice  itself  is  not 
condemned,  so  long  as  certain  necessary  laws  for 
the  protection  of  person  and  property  are  not 
violated.  Such  a  state  of  things  exists  in  some 
of  the  new  States  in  North  and  South  America. 


150  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

The  only  state  of  society  (if  it  is  possible  for 
any  so  to  be)  which  can  be  kept  free  from  vice  is 
that  in  which  the  greatest  possible  amount  of 
innocent  amusements  is  both  allowed  and  en- 
couraged. No  particular  day  of  the  week  must 
be  made  an  exception  to  this  remark,  for  we  must 
apply  our  remarks  to  human  nature  as  it  is,  and 
not  as  we  think  it  ought  to  be  ;  and  you  cannot 
find  an  individual,  except  an  enthusiast,  or  one 
who  labors  under  a  chronic  state  of  moral  or 
religious  excitement,  who  is  willing  to  spend  a 
whole  day  of  the  week,  that  is,  a  seventh  part  of 
his  life,  in  doing  penance.  Hence,  if  you  afford 
men  no  entertainment  on  that  day,  except  of  a 
kind  in  which  they  do  not  and  cannot  feel  the 
least  interest,  while  you  condemn  likewise  all 
such  amusements  as  they  may  invent  for  them- 
selves, you  may  be  just  as  sure  that  they  will 
indulge  themselves  in  secret  hurtful  practices,  as 
you  can  be  of  any  fact  which  you  witness  with 
your  own  eyes. 

This  remark  is  not  applicable  to  those,  who,  on 
account  of  having  formed  a  taste  for  reading  or 
some  other  rational  amusement,  can  divert  them- 
selves in  some  one  or  other  of  these  ways.  Per- 
haps a  majority  of  the  elder  portion  of  the 
community  are  so  much  fatigued  with  the  labors 
of  the  week,  that  they  are  glad  to  spend  the  whole 
of  the  Sabbath  literally  as  a  day  of  rest,  and  while 
they  appear  to  be  deeply  engaged  in  religious  de- 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  151 

votions,  are  really  relieving  a  mind  and  a  body 
that  are  exhausted  with  the  toils  of  the  past  week. 
Such  people  do  not  need  amusement,  since  to 
them,  rest  itself  is  the  most  agreeable  reaction. 


THE  TRAINING  OP  CHILDREN. 

Play  is  the  natural  employment  of  children. 
Systematic  training  is  very  prejudicial,  because 
they  do  not  understand  the  "meaning  nor  the  use 
of  it,  and  have  no  liberty  in  it  for  mental  exercise. 
The  child's  mind  can  only  think  of  the  child's  own 
affairs ;  it  cannot  think  of  yours.  In  yours  it  is 
enslaved ;  in  its  own  it  is  free.  Body  and  mind^ 
therefore,  are  better  developed  in  managing  a  toy- 
horse,  than  in  striving  to  fulfil  an  unchildish  task ; 
and  it  is  only  when  both  are  freely  developed  to- 
gether, that  health  can  be  enjoyed.  For  the  sake 
of  the  promised  manhood  of  boys,  and  the  prom- 
ised womanhood  of  girls,  therefore,  let  all  who 
can  afford  to  bring  up  their  children  in  a  natural 
and  healthy  manner  be  cautious  how  they  accept 
the  theories  of  the  precocious  philosopher,  or 
hasten  to  make  phenomena  of  their  children  in 
early  life.  Remember  that  hasty  growths  are 
weakening  to  plants  and  animals,  and  the  strong- 
est and  the  most  enduring  are  always  those  who 
slowly  develop  themselves. 

Even  the  superior  strength  of  man  to  woman  is 
owing  to  this  latter  efflorescence ;  and  it  is  no 


152  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

recommendation  to  any  boy  or  girl,  that  they  an- 
ticipate their  years,  and  enact  the  part  of  man  or 
woman  before  their  time.  Why,  then,  should  ed- 
ucation be  hastened?  Why  should  it  be  forced 
upon  the  infant  mind,  and  why  should  that  help- 
less and  inexperienced  mind  be  deprived  of  its 
natural  rights  of  healthy,  juvenile  liberty,  and 
childish  excitement  and  enthusiasm,  merely  to 
gratify  a  morbid  and  unnatural  parental  desire  of 
exhibiting  it  in  a  private  family  circle,  as  a  sur- 
prising phenomenon?  We  should  rather  be 
ashamed  of  such  phenomena — rather  sorry  for 
their  misfortune  in  being  phenomena,  and  check 
the  rapidity  of  a  morbid  excitement  that  must 
speedily  emerge  in  physical  weakness  and  nervous 
irritability. 

PHYSICAL   EDUCATION. 

The  truth  that  the  body  is  the  only  medium  by 
which  the  mind  communicates  with  earth,  if  not 
actually  denied,  is  strangely  overlooked  by  teach- 
ers generally.  What  the  harp,  flute,  and  organ, 
broken  or  untuned,  are  to  the  musician  —  the 
body,  with  its  wonderful  and  scrupulously  deli- 
cate functions,  disabled  or  disorganized,  is  to  the 
mind  and  heart.  "A  sound  body  for  a  sound 
mind,  "  —  here  is  the  secret  of  a  full,  symmetrical, 
and  correct  appropriation  of  a  man's  physical  and 
moral  energies.  The  framework  of  the  massive 
steamboat,  must,  for  strength,  be  in  proportion  to 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  153 

the  power  of  the  engine,  or  the  working  of  the 
latter  will  speedily  break  down  the  former.  An 
active  mind  in  a  feeble  body  does  the  same. 

Now  if  these  are  truthful  and  common-sense 
principles,  then  it  follows  that  the  building  up 
and  waxing  mighty  of  the  physical  constitutions 
of  the  coming  millions  of  our  nation  is  an  impor- 
tant, and  in  fact,  an  indispensable  work ;  and  it  is 
a  fortunate  omen,  that  the  facilities  for  intellect- 
ual and  moral  training  are  multiplying  almost 
beyond  degree.  But  without  physical  education, 
the  human  constitution  will  soon  be  overworked, 
since  the  facilities  for  propelling  mind  will  prove 
as  fuel  to  the  steam-engine ;  they  will  increase 
action  only  to  cause  a  speedier  and  more  appall- 
ing ruin  to  the  framework  which  sustains  it.  He, 
therefore,  who  does  anything  by  publishing  and 
revealing  to  families,  especially  to  wives  and 
mothers,  judicious  and  healthful  knowledge  on 
physical  education,  is  helping  on  the  true  salva- 
tion of  our  country  and  the  world. 

The  great  work  must  be,  to  enlighten  parents. 
It  is  the  rescue  of  the  coming  generations.  It  is 
the  inculcation  of  the  wholesome  precepts  of  wis- 
dom and  prudence  in  regard  to  the  prevailing 
errors  respecting  diet,  dress,  exercise,  ventilation, 
reading,  study,  and  morals.  Society  groans  under 
a  load  of  suffering  inflicted  by  causes  which 
might  easily  be  removed,  but  which,  in  conse- 
quence of  ignorance,  fashion,  prejudice,  etc.,  are 


154  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

still  permitted  to  operate.  Therefore,  we  infidels, 
who  believ6  in  having  good  bodies  as  well  as 
minds,  can  help  to  secure  both,  by  promoting  the 
great  work  of  Physical  Education. 


REFORM. 

The  world  can  be  refined  and  improved  only 
by  the  removal  of  absurd  notions,  principles,  and 
customs,  and  the  adoption  of  good  ones.  Hence 
may  be  perceived  the  utility  and  importance  of 
the  enthusiastic  exertions  of  isolated  individuals 
of  inventive  and  discriminative  powers  in  the 
wide  fields  of  reform  ;  for,  by  the  perseverance  and 
determination  of  a  few  philosophic  philanthropists, 
the  moral  world  may,  before  many  years,  become 
sufficiently  renovated  and  improved  to  render  the 
virtuous  successful,  the  honest  happy,  and  the 
wise  powerful. 

THOUGHTS   FOR   THE   YOUNG. 

It  is  a  common  custom  with  editors  of  papers  — 
secular  as  well  as  religious  ones  —  to  give  advice 
to  the  rising  generation,  for  in  this  particular,  the 
press  claims  to  be  an  instructor  not  less  than  the 
pulpit.  And  as  we  too  have  youthful  readers, 
perhaps  they  will  give  attention  to  the  following 
thoughts  of  an  old  friend  of  theirs,  whose  reflec- 
tions and  experience  seem  in  his  estimation  to 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  155 

enable  him  to  impart  good  advice,  and  who  also 
sincerely  wishes  that  their  lives  may  be  useful, 
prosperous,  and  happy. 

How  vastly  important  are  the  moments  of 
youth !  They  constitute  the  best,  if  not  the  only 
time  for  the  acquirement  of  everything  that  can 
elevate,  adorn,  and  ennoble  the  human  character. 
Yes,  this  is  the  fit  period  of  your  existence,  not 
only  for  attaining  valuable  knowledge,  and  secur- 
ing to  yourselves  virtue,"  wisdom,  and  lasting 
felicity,  but  now,  also,  is  the  season  in  which 
you  must  be  wary  and  ever  upon  your  guard  lest 
you  acquire  and  become  fixed  in  the  foolish  habits 
and  vicious  customs  of  the  society  which  surround 
you.  For,  whether  you  know  it  or  not,  it  is  a  sad 
truth,  that  for  one  wise  and  virtuous  individual 
that  is  to  be  found  in  the  current  pursuits  of  life, 
you  will  meet  with,  at  least,  seven  who  are  either 
foolish  or  vicious.  Therefore,  avoid  as  far  as  pos- 
sible, all  intimacy  and  conversation  with  such  in- 
dividuals, that  thereby  you  may  remain  secure 
from  the  contamination  of  their  follies  and  vices, 
for  let  it  be  remembered,  that  you  were  born  free 
from  vice,  and  can  be  trained  to  virtue.  Hence, 
it  should  be  your  assiduous  duty  to  avoid  the 
former  and  acquire  the  latter. 

Then,  in  order  to  escape  the  evil  and  attain  the 
good,  strive  to  gain  a  taste  and  preserve  a  zest  for 
thought  and  reflection,  while  youth,  health,  vigor 
and  vivacity  flow  through  your  frames ;  for  when 


156  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

youth  is  passed,  the  animal  spirits  begin  to  droop. 
Fail  not  then  to  appreciate  your  present,  which, 
if  once  lost,  becomes  irrecoverable.  Then  deceive 
not  yourselves,  but  remember  that  if  you  defer 
the  acquisition  of  valuable  knowledge,  wise  and 
virtuous  habits,  until  mature  age,  you  will  labor 
under  the  double  disadvantage  of  learning  slowly 
and  forgetting  nearly  as  fast  as  you  learn.  Re- 
member that  early  habits  of  industry  and  reflec- 
tion, united  with  honesty,  truthfulness,  temper- 
ance, kindness,  justice,  and  all  the  other  useful, 
practical,  human  virtues  which  benefit  ourselves 
and  our  fellow-men,  will  enable  you  to  be  and  to 
feel  much  more  independent,  exalted,  and  happy, 
than  can  the  mere  possession  of  wealth  and  the 
ability  of  moving  in  the  giddy  circles  of  pomp 
and  fashion. 

Beyond  the  necessaries  of  life,  it  is  not  impor- 
tant that  the  pecuniary  means  of  the  habitually 
industrious,  reflective,  and  wise,  should  be  large. 
Money,  however,  when  honestly  earned,  is  a  good 
thing,  because  it  can  be  made  useful  to  ourselves 
and  to  others ;  to  ourselves  when  we  are  past 
labor,  and  to  others,  when  it  enables  us  to  lend  a 
helping  hand  to  the  poor  and  unfortunate.  Be 
active,  then,  in  your  business,  and  when  you  have 
acquired  a  competence,  be  prudent  in  the  saving 
and  judicious  in  the  disbursement  of  it.  Do  not 
be  anxious  at  any  time  on  the  score  of  instruction 
or  the  right  kind  of  teaching,  for  you  will  always 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  157 

have  a  full  and  perfect  library  around  you  which 
comprises  the  most  valuable  of  all  books  —  we 
mean  the  great  volume  of  Nature.  Never  doubt 
the  truth  of  this  statement,  nor  lose  sight  of  its 
great  and  paramount  importance,  but  ever  be 
assured  that  the  pure  study  of  Nature,  of  all  other 
studies,  is  the  most  important,  for  it  will  never 
inspire  you  with  fanaticism  and  an  evil  spirit,  nor 
will  it  ever  mislead  you  ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  the 
contemplation  of  Nature  must  always  tend  to 
humanize,  refine,  and  exalt  your  character. 

If  you  enjoy  good  health,  and  possess  an  ordi- 
nary share  of  intellectual  capability,  and  begin  in 
early  life  to  be  studious,  thoughtful,  and  reflective, 
by  thirty  years  of  age,  each  of  you  may  be- 
come like  a  host  in  valuable  knowledge,  men- 
tal power,  and  moral  influence ;  and  consequently 
will  establish  yourselves  in  principles  that  have 
the  immutable  rock  of  truth  for  their  basis. 

It  is  all  important,  you  see,  that  you  begin  right, 
for  human  life  is  a  succession  of  parts  —  infancy, 
youth,  manhood,  maturity,  decline,  old  age,  and 
death.  What  a  man  becomes,  depends  on  educa- 
tion, and  other  circumstances  that  surround  him  '•> 
as  his  infancy  is,  so  will  be  his  youth  ;  as  his  youth 
is,  so  will  be  his  manhood ;  as  his  manhood  is,  so 
will  be  his  maturity ;  as  maturity  is,  so  will  be  de- 
cline ;  as  decline  is,  so  will  be  old  age.  Then  if 
youth  be  passed  in  idleness,  ignorance,  folly,  and 
vice,  how  can  one  hold  his  way  in  the  world,  side 


158  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

by  side  with  the  intelligent,  the  worthy,  and  the 
virtuous?  If  manhood  has  been  passed  in  low 
pursuits,  in  establishing  in  the  heart,  evil  propen- 
sities, in  wasting  natural  vigor,  what  awaits  one  in 
old  age,  but  poverty,  pity,  and  contempt?  But  if 
youth  be  devoted  to  the  reasonable  cultivation  of 
the  physical  and  intellectual  powers,  if  knowledge 
of  human  duty  be  acquired  and  rightly  used,  man- 
hood will  be  worthy;  maturity,  respectable;  de- 
cline, honored ;  and  old  age,  venerable. 


THE   EIGHT  TO   EXPHESS    OPINIONS. 

One  of  the  most  important  rights  which  human 
beings  possess,  abstractly,  and  which  ought  to 
be  guaranteed  to  them  by  the  society  of  which 
they  are  members,  is,  the  right  to  express  opin- 
ions, without  fear  or  molestation.  That  men 
ought  to  possess  this  right,  not  only  as  a  matter 
of  abstract  justice,  but  as  a  matter  of  political  ex- 
pediency, is  a  proposition  which  carries  its  own 
evidence  along  with  it.  The  right  to  think  freely 
upon  all  subjects  belongs  to  us  naturally,  and  no 
government  can  deprive  us  of  it.  Now  the  right 
to  think  involves  the  right  to  express  our  opin- 
ions ;  for  if  we  were  to  be  deprived  of  the  power 
of  communicating  our  ideas  to  each  other,  we 
should  be  unable  to  benefit  society  by  developing 
truths  which  we  might  discover. 

The  right  to  express  opinions  on  all  subjects, 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  159 

save  religion  and  politics,  is  conceded  by  almost 
all  governments  to  their  people.  The  autocracy 
of  Russia,  and  the  paternal  despotism  of  Austria, 
prohibit  discussion  among  the  people  on  political 
affairs,  and  England  and  our  own  country  some- 
times punish  those  who  dare  to  express  opinions 
derogatory  to  Christianity.  The  persecution  of 
Abner  Kneeland  for  blasphemy,  —  the  statute 
against  which  unmeaning  crime  is  not  even  yet  re- 
pealed,—  proves  the  correctness  of  the  latter 
statement.  A  brief  examination  of  the  principal 
arguments  usually  urged  in  defence  of  such  pros- 
ecutions, may  suffice  to  show  their  injustice,  and 
to  place  the  right  of  man  to  the  unrestricted  ex- 
pression of  opinion  in  a  clear  light:  — 

First.  — It  is  said  that  if  men  were  permitted 
to  publish  opinions  derogatory  to  religion,  the  pub- 
lic would  be  induced  to  regard  it  with  contempt. 
To  this  it  may  be  replied,  that  religion  must  be  a 
thing  in  itself  contemptible,  or  the  public  intellect 
must  be  very  defectively  educated,  or  such  an  ef- 
fect would  never  be  produced.  Every  prosecution 
for  the  undefinable  crime  of  blasphemy,  therefore, 
is  a  tacit  acknowledgment  that  the  government 
and  the  priesthood  have  not  done  their  duty  in 
educating  the  people;  or  it  is  a  tacit  acknowledg- 
ment that  religion  is  not  founded  in  argument,  and 
that  it  requires  the  terrors  of  corporal  punishment 
for  its  support.  Hence  all  such  prosecutions  are 
the  most  bitter  and  galling  satires  which  could  be 


160  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

launched  against  the  government,  priests,  and  re- 
ligion. 

Second.  —  It  has  been  urged  that  the  moral 
sense  of  the  community  is  outraged  by  the  publi- 
cation of  libels  on  religion,  and  that  it  is  fitting 
and  right  that  the  publishers  of  such  libels  should 
be  prosecuted.  We  see  no  force  in  this  argument, 
because  almost  everything  that  a  man  might  say 
of  religion,  while  exercising  his  right  of  free  in- 
quiry, could  be  construed  by  the  law  and  the 
church  into  a  libel.  Now  it  is  well  known  that 
free  inquiry  has  been  instrumental  in  establishing 
science,  in  reforming  jurisprudence,  and  in  effect- 
ing the  partial  abloition  of  superstitious  absurdi- 
ties. It  cannot  therefore,  do  any  harm  to  religion, 
if  religion  is  founded  in  truth ;  and  if  not,  free  in- 
quiry will  expose  its  errors,  and  consequently 
ought  to  be  encouraged.  Moreover,  the  nature  of 
belief  is  involuntary  and  proportionate  to  the 
amount  and  clearness  of  the  evidence  presented  to 
the  mind  ;  hence  it  is  unjust  to  punish  a  man  for 
entertaining  any  opinion.  Besides,  as  the  individ- 
ual right  to  inquire  after  truth  obviously  implies 
the  right  to  express  without  fear  the  results  of 
inquiry ;  so  it  may  be  argued  that  those  who 
could  restrict  the  free  expression  of  opinion  must 
either  deny  the  abstract  right  of  man  to  inquire 
after  truth,  or  act  inconsistently  by  denying  in 
practice  the  right  which  the  former  involves. 
And  finally,  as  truth  is  always  beneficial,  and 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  161 

error  always  pernicious  to  society,  and  as  inquiry 
'  is  the  only  mode  by  which  we  can  ever  arrive  at 
tnith,   so   all    attempts    to    restrict    inquiry   are 
wrong  and  unjust. 

These  are  some  of  the  grounds  upon  which  the 
right  to  free  inquiry  and  to  the  free  expression  of 
opinion  may  be  defended.  And  in  view  of  them 
we  may  ask,  why  allow  statutes  to  remain  unre- 
pealed,  which  are  obnoxious  to  reason,  and  con- 
trary to  common  sense?  Does  Christianity  re- 
quire the  strong  arm  of  the  law  to  prop  it  up? 
We  should  think  not,  if  it  is  from  Heaven.  Why, 
then,  do  professed  Christians  persecute  unbe- 
lievers? For  no  other  purpose,  it  would  seem, 
than  to  gratify  a  thirst  for  vengeance,  which  their 
principles  and  religion  are  unable  to  repress. 

PREACHING. 

Perhaps  for  some  years  to  come  the  practice  of 
preaching  will  continue  ;  but  if  it  improves  for  the 
next  quarter  of  a  century  as  much  as  it  has  dur- 
ing the  last  quarter,  it  will  probably  be  then  a 
comparatively  useful  mode  of  public  teaching. 
Its  present  improvement  is  owing  not  to  the  in- 
trinsic merit  of  the  Bible  or  religion,  but  to  the 
outside  pressure  of  Liberalism  or  Infidelity,  which 
has  compelled  the  pulpit,  in  order  to  preserve 
itself,  to  take  an  advanced  position  more  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  growing  liberality,  intelligence, 


162  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

and  toleration  of  the  times.  This  regenerating 
influence  must  continue,  and  it  must  increase,  for 
"  revolutions  [particularly  of  this  kind]  never  go 
backwards "  ;  and  hence  the  prospect  is,  that  if, 
in  coming  generations,  there  is  to  be  any  pulpit 
at  all,  it  must  be  founded  on  the  facts  of  reason 
instead  of  the  fancies  of  a  superstitious  faith. 

The  .pulpit-reform  has  already  commenced,  and 
"things  are  working "  favorably.  People  are  be- 
coming more  intelligent,  inquisitive,  and  reflect- 
ing ;  consequently,  preaching  is  rather  a  different 
affair  from  what  it  once  was.  Nowadays,  people 
expect  to  be  instructed,  convinced,  and  persuaded 
by  knowledge,  reason,  and  argument.  They  are 
not  satisfied  with  mere  verbiage  ;  they  are  not 
moved  by  empty  or  unmeaning  declamation  ;  they 
are  not  alarmed  by  sepulchral  tones  and  unearthly 
grimaces.  The  demands  of  the  community  in 
regard  to  the  character  of  public  services  are  con- 
tinually rising  with  the  improvements  of  the  com- 
munity in  every  branch  of  science,  and  in  the  arts 
and  distinctions  of  civilized  life.  You  may  now 
go  into  a  church  where  once  you  would  expect  to 
hear  denunciatory  and  controversial  preaching, 
and  not  much  will  be  uttered  to  offend  a  liberal 
mind,  except  now  and  then  a  keynote  may  be 
touched  or  an  ear-mark  shown,  lest  the  minister's 
soundness  should  come  under  suspicion,  or  he 
should  lose  sight  of  his  own  identity.  This  is  con- 
siderable gain  —  a  gain  to  liberality  and  happiness. 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  163 

What  will  do  the  people  good  ?  What  will  be 
the  most  useful  ?  What  will  make  them  wiser, 
better,  and  happier  ?  We  know  of  no  other  rule 
than  this  by  which  the  propriety  and  value  of 
preaching  is  to  be  tested.  And  it  is  an  encourag- 
ing sign  of  the  times  that  preaching  is  becoming 
more  and  more  in  accordance  with  this  rule. 
The  polemical  and  denunciatory  style  of  preach- 
ing, which  served  only  to  nourish  spiritual  pride 
and  to  kindle  the  vindictive  passions,  has  in  a  great 
measure  ceased.  Here  and  there  occasionally  you 
may  hear  the  straggling  fires  of  some  scattered 
portions  of  a  retreating  enemy  ;  brave  men  who  are 
not  willing  to  quit  the  field  until  their  last  rounds 
are  expended,  though  they  fire  them  into  the  air. 
Here  and  there  some  veteran  of  the  last  wars, 
some  Greenwich  pensioner,  who,  fired  with  the 
indomitable  spirit  of  his  youth,  "  loves  to  shoulder 
his  crutch  and  show  how  fields  were  won,"  may 
figure  out  to  the  amusement  of  the  religious,  and 
to  the  grief  of  the  serious,  who  have  ceased  to  be 
alarmed  by  the  manoauvres  of  the  most  skilful 
tactician.  But  this  denunciatory  and  controver- 
sial preaching  has  almost  ceased.  The  growing 
intelligence  of  the  people,  and  that  which  is  its 
usual  concomitant,  the  spirit  of  free  inquiry  and 
independent  judgment,  have  put  it  down,  and 
many  of  its  warmest  friends  have  been  as  anxious, 
as  their  consistency  would  allow  them  to  be,  to 
have  it  put  down,  because  they  found  it  was  put- 
ting them  down. 


164  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

What  are  most  requisite  in  a  public  teacher,  arc 
clearness  of  perception  and  soundness  of  judg- 
ment ;  a  love  of  truth  which  nothing  can  quench; 
a  sagacity  in  discerning,  and  a  fearlessness  in 
avowing  it,  which  becomes  those  who  understand 
its  proper  value  ;  and  these,  when  joined  to  indus- 
try and  perseverance,  afford  the  fairest  promise  of 
usefulness. 


THE   SUPPLY  OF  NATUBAL  WANTS. 

Man  requires  the  full  supply  of  his  physical 
necessities,  and  as  he  has  hitherto  remained  in  an 
antagonistic  position  to  his  fellow-beings,  he  finds 
it  necessary  to  secure  for  his  own  use  as  much 
property  as  he  can  procure.  If  the  full  supply  of 
his  wants  were  to  be  guaranteed  to  him  by  society 
he  would  not  be  likely  to  amass  wealth  which  he 
could  not  consume. 

Thei'e  are,  however,  several  influences  which 
may  induce  a  man  to  grasp  after  wealth,  independ- 
ent of  the  desire  to  supply  his  natural  wants. 
Wealth  gives  a  man  power  over  the  labor  of  his 
fellow-beings,  affords  him  respectability  in  society, 
and  enables  him  to  gratify  his  pride  by  living  in 
the  fashion.  The  consideration  of  these  advan- 
tages exercises  a  powerful  influence  over  many 
minds.  There  are  thousands,  if  not  tens  of  thou- 
sands, who  prefer  the  indulgence  of  their  pride, 
their  ambition,  and  their  selfishness  to  the  promo- 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  165 

tion  of  the  public  welfare.  Whether  this  results 
from  the  peculiarity  of  their  cranial  development, 
or  from  an  evil  training,  or  from  the  influence  of 
local  circumstances,  there  can  be  no  doubt  of  the 
reality  of  the  fact.  The  conduct  of  men,  in  this 
respect  serves  to  show  the  nature  of  the  influences 
by  which  they  are  actuated,  and  the  existence  of 
those  influences  explains  the  reason  why  men  en- 
deavor to  acquire  private  posessions. 

But,  independent  of  the  simple  desire  to  secure 
the  supply  of  our  natural  wants,  of  course  includ- 
ing the  wants  of  those  with  whom  we  are  most 
intimate,  all  the  other  motives  we  have  alluded  to 
are  impure  and  ignoble.  What,  are  ambition, 
avarice,  the  love  of  power,  the  desire  of  show,  in 
accordance,  exclusiveljr,  with  man's  moral  being? 
Forbid  it,  justice,  philanthropy  and  truth !  It 
would  indeed  be  a  lamentable  chapter  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  1m man  race  if  these  characteristics  of 
an  ill-trained  humanity  were  so  essentially  in- 
woven in  the  texture  of  our  moral  nature  as  not 
to  admit  of  eradication.  That  men  have  been 
ambitious  is  admissible ;  that  they  are  so  essen- 
tially, and  without  a  possibility  of  cure,  is  an  un- 
provable  assumption.  That  insatiable  avarice, 
like  a  fell  monster,  has  breathed  upon  the  hearts 
of  some  men,  and  turned  their  natural  warmth 
into  frost,  and  their  sweetness  into  gall,  is  an 
assertion  warranted  by  the  conduct  of  many  indi- 
viduals. This,  however,  affords  no  proof  of  the 


166  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

assumption  that  avarice  belongs  essentially  to 
human  nature.  All  these  bad  and  injurious  pas- 
sions and  propensities  result  from  the  training  we 
receive,  and  the  evil  influences  that  operate  upon 
us  throughout  life. 

That  ambition,  avarice,  and  other  evil  passions, 
are  mere  accidents  which  the  progress  of  the  mind 
in  knowledge  and  philosophy  gradually  removes, 
is  a  fact  fully  attested  by  the  annals  of  private 
life.  Are  there  not  hundreds  of  individuals  who 
would  expend  their  resources  in  the  relief  of  dis- 
tress? Is  there  no  sympathy,  no  affection,  no 
philanthropy  in  the  world?  Does  the  human 
heart  never  feel  the  soft  impulses  of  generosity  ? 
Has  benevolence  been  confined  to  the  breasts  of 
Howard,  Clarkson,  Wilberforce,  Owen  and  Girarcl? 
Is  human  nature  a  soil  adapted  to  afford  nutrition 
to  every  noxious  plant,  and  not  fitted  to  afford 
nourishment  to  those  virtues  that  adorn  the  char- 
acter and  make  us  feel  proud  of  our  humanity? 
No !  These  suppositions  are  degrading  to  our 
nature,  contradictory  to  facts,  and  inimical  to 
virtue. 

If,  however,  it  be  admitted  that  human  nature 
is  essentially  good,  and  that  there  is  in  man  a 
natural  principle  of  benevolence,  it  will  follow 
that  the  system  of  private  property,  instead  of 
being  in  accordance  with  the  nature  of  man,  is 
directly  opposed  to  it.  The  competitive  system 
causes  many  to  be  in  want  of  the  necessaries  of 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  167 

life,  and  the  natural  benevolence  of  the  human 
heart  disposes  us  to  commiserate  and  relieve  the 
distresses  of  our  fellow-men.  But  in  hundreds  of 
cases  where  this  benevolent  desire  is  felt,  the 
means  are  wanting  whereby  it  might  be  gratified. 
Private  interests  and  domestic  rights  frequently 
interfere  with  our  feelings  of  public  philanthropy, 
so  that  when  we  would  alleviate  the  sufferings  of 
our  fellow-men,  we  find  it,  in  some  cases,  impoli- 
tic, and  in  others,  impossible.  Here  it  is  obvious 
that  the  present  system  of  society  comes  into 
direct  collision  with  the  noblest  feelings  of  our 
nature. 

Again:  The  poor  are  obliged  to  compete  with 
each  other ;  not  with  respect  to  the  outlay  of  their 
moneyed  capital,  of  which  they  are  minus,  but 
with  respect  to  their  labor,  the  only  capital  they 
have  at  their  disposal. 

It  is  obvious  that  in  such  a  wearisome  and  pro- 
tracted struggle  for  the  goods  of  life,  some  must 
rise  and  others  fall ;  some  be  enabled  to  gratify 
their  inordinate  avarice,  and  others  be  kept  in 
poverty.  Hence  the  system  of  competition  is  not 
in  accordance  with  human  nature,  for,  if  that  sys- 
tem enables  some  to  rise  in  the  scale  of  affluence, 
it  depresses  others  in  proportion.  And  if  it  be 
argued  that  the  system  is  right  because  some  rise, 
it  may  be  argued  that  it  is  wrong  because  others 
fall. 

The  preceding  observations  imply  that  the  sys- 


168  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

tern  of  private  property  cannot  be  defended  on  the 
ground  of  abstract  correspondence  with  the  moral 
nature  of  man.  If,  therefore,  it  be  defensible  at 
all,  it  must  be  on  the  score  of  its  utility.  If  it  be 
better  fitted  to  promote  the  welfare  of  mankind 
than  the  co-operative  system,  then  let  it  be  pre- 
served ;  but  if  not,  it  should  be  abolished,  and  a 
new  order  of  things  established  in  its  place. 

THE   RIGHT   TO   GOOD   GOVERNMENT. 

One  of  the  most  important  rights  which  belong 
to  man  as  a  member  of  society  is  the  right  to  good 
government.  It  is  quite  evident,  we  think,  that 
constituted  as  society  is  now,  some  kind  of  gov- 
ernment is  absolutely  necessary  to  its  well-being ; 
and  it  is  not  less  true,  that  whatever  form  of  gov- 
ernment any  community  may  think  proper  to 
adopt,  should  be  of  the  best  character.  A  good 
government  should  possess,  it  seems  to  us,  the  fol- 
lowing characteristics :  — 

First.  —  It  should  be  cheap  ;  for  if  the  people 
should  be  immoderately  taxed  to  support  the  gov- 
ernment, the  evils  resulting  from  such  a  system 
would  counterbalance  the  good. 

Second.  —  It  should  be  effective ;  for  if  such 
were  not  to  be  the  case,  it  would  be  unable  to 
benefit  the  people  by  enacting  wise  and  well-ar- 
ranged laws,  and  by  enforcing  their  observance. 

Third.  —  It  should  be  disinterested  as  it  regards 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  169 

particular  class  interests,  making  laws  not  for  the 
benefit  of  one  particular  portion  of  the  community, 
but  for  the  benefit  of  all. 

Fourth.  —  It  should  be  entirely  elective  ;  as  the 
people  would  then  occasionally  have  the  power  of 
ejecting  from  office  those  men  who  might  betray 
a  regardlessness  of  the  public  welfare. 

Fifth. — It  should  truly  represent  all  classes  of 
the  community;  that  is,  the  members  should  be 
elected  to  office  by  all  who  are  capable  of  under- 
standing political  affairs.  From  this,  it  follows, 
that  the  right  of  voting  should  be  given  to  all  who 
are  capable  of  exercising  the  suffrage. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  examine  the  question  as  to 
the  best  form  of  government  out  of  the  many  that 
have  been  adopted  by  mankind ;  for  we  are  all 
agreed,  we  presume,  that  ours,  or  a  republic,  is 
the  best ;  but  still  it  has  defects  which  will  have 
to  be  remedied  before  it  becomes  the  best,  in  its 
practical  workings,  which  can  be  devised.  The 
preceding  characteristics  of  a  good  government 
will  enable  the  reader  to  test  the  merits  of  all  the 
forms  of  government  which  have  been  adopted  by 
different  nations.  In  addition  to  these,  the  follow- 
ing abstract  rules  are  worthy  of  attention :  — 

First. — The  great  end  for  which  government 
is  instituted,  is  the  promotion  of  the  general  wel- 
fare. If,  therefore,  any  form  of  government  fails 
to  produce  this  effect,  we  may  confidently  pro- 
nounce that  form  of  government  to  be  defective. 


170  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

Second.  —  The  duty  of  a  government  is  to  se- 
cure to  individuals  the  full  enjoyment  of  their 
rights.  If,  therefore,  any  form  of  government 
should  fail  in  this  respect,  it  must  be  defective 
also. 

Third.  —  It  is  the  duty  of  a  government  to  see 
that  the  people  receive  a  good  physical,  mental, 
and  moral  training ;  and  any  government  that 
neglects  this  important  duty,  must  be  defective. 

Fourth.  —  It  is  the  duty  of  a  government  to 
take  all  practicable  steps  which  may  tend  to  in- 
crease the  production  of  wealth,  and  also  to  see 
that  the  wealth  produced  be  properly  distributed ; 
in  other  words,  that  the  wants  of  all  be  fully  sup- 
plied. If  any  form  of  government  tend  to  prevent 
this,  or  if  any  legislative  assembly  should  feel 
unwilling  to  do  it,  that  form  of  government  must 
be  defective,  and  the  members  of  that  legislative 
assembly  ought  to  be  deposed.  This  test  is  espe- 
cially applicable  to  all  governments  which  have  (or 
might  have  if  they  only  would)  abundant  facilities 
for  the  production  of  wealth  at  their  disposal. 

The  preceding  observations  appear  to  us  to 
embrace  all  the  characteristics  and  all  the  duties 
of  a  good  government.  If,  therefore,  these  char- 
acteristics can  be  found  in  any  government,  that 
government  deserves  to  be  supported,  not  by  the 
bayonets  of  a  hired  soldiery,  but  by  the  affections 
of  the  people. 

In  conclusion,  no  nation  can  be  truly  happy  or 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  171 

prosperous  while  it  remains  destitute  of  any,  or  of 
all  of  the  above-mentioned  rights.  They  are  ab- 
solutely necessary  to  the  well-being  of  any  peo- 
ple ;  they  are  what  the  human  mind  longs  for ; 
and  what  the  onward  march  of  genuine  democracy 
and  liberal  principles  will  ultimately  compel  all 
governments  to  grant.  No  population  can  be 
truly  happy  under  a  government  which  provides 
merely  for  their  animal  enjoyments,  but  which,  at 
the  same  time,  represses  the  noble  love  of  liberty 
by  a  systematic  and  slavish  system  of  education. 
It  is  in  this  respect  that  the  paternal  despotism  of 
Austria  is  defective.  It  provides  for  the  people  a 
supply  of  food  and  enjoyment,  which  is  in  itself 
an  excellent  thing.  But  it  at  the  same  time 
degrades  the  mentality  of  the  people,  by  prohibit- 
ing as  far  as  its  power  will  permit,  inquiry  and 
discussion.  We  shall  probably  never  have  exactly 
the  right  kind  of  government  until  the  promotion 
of  the  general  good  becomes  the  sole  actuating 
principle  of  human  conduct. 

FEMALE  INFLUENCE. 

Woman  has  a  far  greater  influence  on  the  public 
morals  than  the  ministers  of  religion,  though 
whatever  the  latter  may  accomplish  in  this  respect 
is  commendable  on  their  part,  and  we  would  not 
withhold  from  them  the  credit  to  which  they  are 
fairly  entitled.  Morality,  and  not  religion,  being 


172  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

"the  one  thing  needful,"  those  who  promote  the 
former,  are  the  true  benefactors  of  society.  Now 
women  have  a  greater  influence  for  better  or 
worse,  than  ministers,  because,  as  one  reason,  the 
number  of  the  first  is  very  much  larger  than  the 
second.  Mothers,  and  next  to  them  school-teach- 
ers, plant  the  seeds  of  nearly  all  the  good  and  evil 
that  exist  in  the  world ;  and  as  there  are  probably 
a  thousand  mothers  and  teachers  to  one  minister, 
they  have  an  almost  unlimited  influence  for  good 
or  evil,  over  the  minds  and  hearts  of  those  com- 
mitted to  their  charge.  May  it  not,  therefore,  be 
justly  said  that  they  plant  the  seeds  of  nearly  all 
the  good  and  evil  iu  the  world  ? 

But  female  influence  in  the  formation  of  the 
right  kind  of  character,  is  as  yet  but  little  under- 
stood. The  philosopher  talks  about  it;  the 
friends  of  education,  the  patriot,  the  philanthro- 
pist, and  the  minister  proclaim  it ;  almost  every- 
body admits  it ;  some  even  believe  it;  —  and  yet, 
what  is  done  ?  Not  much,  comparatively;  in  fact, 
scarcely  anything.  Woman  is  not  only  unknown 
to  the  other  sex,  but  to  herself.  She  has  no  sort 
of  conception  of  her  powers,  or  responsibilities. 

She  does  not  dream  of  a  tithe  of  the  good  she 
might  accomplish.  If  you  tell  her  that  her  influ- 
ence is  not  less  in  the  restoration,  than  in  the  fall 
of  our  race,  she  either  misunderstands  you  or 
regards  you  as  visionary.  By  her  own  misman- 
agement, and  especially  by  the  mismanagement  of 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  173 

her  constituted  lord,  she  is  still  the  creature,  and, 
to  a  great  extent  the  dupe,  of  fashion,  frivolity, 
superstition,  and  priestcraft.  We  speak  of  the 
sex  generally,  knowing  there  are  noble  exceptions, 
and  that  they  are  every  day  becoming  more  nu- 
merous. 

When  the  rights,  duties,  and  capabilities  of 
women  are  better  understood  by  both  sexes,  there 
will  be  an  improved  state  of  things ;  society  will 
be  far  in  advance  of  what  it  is  to-day  ;  and  female 
influence,  enlightened  and  regenerated,  will  prove 
itself  the  true  savior  of  mankind.  It  is  all  impor- 
tant, in  the  improvement  and  salvation  of  the  race, 
that  the  mothers  should  be  properly  educated  ;  for 
the  maxim  is  not  less  correct  now  than  when  first 
proclaimed  by  Confucius,  that  "  By  the  manners 
of  the  children  we  may  judge  of  the  temper  of 
the  mother." 

IMPORTANCE   OF  COMMON   SCHOOLS. 

A  great  many  people  seem  to  think  that  the 
permanency  of  our  free  institutions,  the  durability 
of  republicanism,  and,  in  short,  all  the  highest 
and  best  interests  of  the  country,  depend  on 
churches.  We  are  of  the  opinion  that  all  of  these 
important  things  depend  on  COMMON  SCHOOLS. 
They  are  the  people's  colleges  ;  the  sun  of  the 
people's  mind;  the  lamp  of  freedom.  Perhaps 
nineteen  out  of  every  twenty  persons  in  these 
United  States  are  educated  in  common  schools 


174  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

alone;  not  one  out  of  twenty  ever  enters  either 
academy  or  college.  This  fact  in  itself  tells  us, 
at  once,  that  as  is  the  common  school  so  is  the 
education  of  the  American  people.  Yes,  the  edu- 
cation of  this  nation  is  that  and  that  only,  which 
the  common  schools  are  prepared  to  give.  How 
many,  who  read  these  lines,  ever  received  more  ? 
You  may  have  educated  yourselves  after  you  left 
those  schools,  but  did  not  even  this  depend  on  the 
education  which  you  there  received  ? 

Look  at  the  connection  of  common  schools  with 
social  order  and  prosperity.  The  educated  man 
and  the  educated  woman  have  other  sources  of 
enjoyment  and  other  subjects  of  conversation  than 
their  neighbor's  characters ;  but  leave  the  mind 
empty,  and  frivolous  gossipping  and  tea-table  chat 
will  be  the  amusement  of  their  leisure  hours. 
There  is  nothing  we  hold  important  or  useful  in 
society,  but  it  is  connected  more  or  less  directly 
with  our  schools.  We  may  pile  all  the  hilltops 
with  magnificent  architecture,  but  let  the  plain, 
brick  school  ho  use  go  down,  and  very  soon  all  the 
columns  and  architraves  and  domes  will  tumble 
with  it  into  ruin.  What  is  the  true  foundation 
of  a  republic  ?  It  is  the  common  school.  If  we 
would  have  the  one  stand  firm,  we  must  build  the 
other  deep  and  sure.  To  neglect  common  schools 
is  as  bad  as  to  destroy  ;  nay,  it  is  even  worse  ;  for 
mal-information  is  worse  than  no  information,  just 
as  hunger  is  preferable  to  poisoned  food. 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  175 


THE  CLERGY  AND   REFORM. 

The  clergy  are  always  enlisted  on  the  conserva- 
tive side  of  all  questions.  We  do  not  mean  to 
cast  any  severe  reflections  on  the  clergy,  when  we 
say,  that  from  the  very  nature  and  circumstances 
of  their  officfe  in  this  country,  they  are,  and  always 
must  be,  behind  the  age,  while  these  circumstances 
continue,  in  all  matters  appertaining  to  genuine 
intellectual  improvement,  and  in  the  species  of 
moral  improvement  which  arises  out  of  philosoph- 
ical inquiry.  At  the  same  time  they  will  always, 
as  a  body,  be  in  advance  of  the  age  in  that  kind 
of  superficial  morality  which  consists  in  the  obser- 
vance of  the  decencies  of  life,  and  of  mere  theolog- 
ical precepts.  They  were  for  a  season  behind 
the  age  in  the  temperance  reform,  because  temper- 
ance is  not  a  theological  virtue,  but  a  moral  one. 
When  the  current  of  public  opinion  set  that  way, 
the  clergy  not  only  floated  along  with  it,  but  they 
spread  their  sails  and  went  ahead  of  it,  in  some 
instances. 

Whenever  any  reform  or  innovation  is  at- 
tempted, which  is  opposed  to  the  established 
prejudices  of  the  community,  the  clergy  will  ne- 
cessarily fall  in  with  it  only  as  fast  as  it  gains  the 
approbation  of  the  people.  All  this  arises  very 
obviously  from  our  republican  system  of  support- 
ing religion.  Any  individual  of  the  clerg\r  who 
should,  by  the  new  doctrines  he  preached,  maul- 


176  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

fest  himself  in  advance  of  his  parishioners,  would 
be  immediately  displaced  for  another  whose  opin- 
ions are  as  backward  as  the  ruling  members  of 
the  parish.  And  it  is  seldom  a  clergyman's  per- 
sonal popularity  is  great  enough  to  preserve  him 
in  his  situation,  in  spite  of  religious  prejudice 
against  him.  This  circumstance  necessarily  oper- 
ates to  drive  all  such  as  are  in  advance  of  the 
community  out  of  the  profession,  unless  they  can 
submit  to  the  practice  of  a  certain  degree  of  dis- 
simulation. Miss  Martineau  was  therefore  un- 
charitable in  mentioning  this  fact  as  a  matter  of 

o 

reproach  against  the  clergy.  Every  man  in  the 
community  knows  that  the  clergyman  of  a  parish 
is  settled  over  it  by  the  people,  with  reference  to 
his  agreement  with  them  in  doctrine,  and  with  the 
understanding  that  all  his  eloquence  is  to  be  used 
in  assisting  them  to  maintain  their  present  views. 
Should  he  make  any  innovation  in  point  of  doc- 
trine, he  must  wait  until  the  majority  are  pre- 
viously prepared  for  it,  under  the  penalty  of  being 
turned  out  of  his  pulpit,  or  he  must  have  the  art 
of  insinuating  his  new  doctrines  into  their  minds 
under  the  cover  of  some  old  worn-out  superstition 
which  shall  serve  to  render  it  palatable.  It  is 
needless  to  remark,  that,  on  this  account,  the 
change  must  necessarily  occur  in  the  minds  of  the 
people  first,  and  that  afterwai'ds  they  will  allow 
their  pastor  to  change  his  views  in  conformity 
with  theirs.  How  can  we,  under  such  circumstan- 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  177 

ces,  reproach  the  clergy  with  being  behind  the  age? 
As  well  might  we  reproach  the  effect  for  not  pre- 
ceding the  cause.  Neither  do  we  mean  to  accuse 
the  clergy  of  insincerity  ;  for  this  republican  sys- 
tem of  supporting  religion  (which  is,  after  all,  the 
best  one)  prevents  those  individuals  who  are  in 
advance  of  the  age  from  adopting  the  profession 
of  divinity,  and  draws  them  into  the  ranks  of  one 
of  the  other  professions. 

VIRTUE  AND   VICE. 

Morality,  simply  considered  as  the  bond  of  soci- 
ety, has  no  more  to  do  with  a  future  life,  than  it 
had  with  a  past  one  :  men  seldom  act  in  the  common 
concerns  of  the  world,  from  the  hope  of  a  distant 
and  uncertain  reward: — they  feel  impelled  by 
something  more  immediate  and  forcible.  The 
laws  which  must  ever  govern  human  nature,  exist 
in  that  nature  itself.  Man  being  what  he  is,  his 
nature  determines  his  morality,  inasmuch  as  it  de- 
termines the  effect  which  every  external  or  inter- 
nal influence  shall  produce  for  good  or  for  evil ;  if 
for  good,  that  influence  is  virtuous ;  if  for  evil,  it 
is  vicious.  Having  discovered  what  impressions 
afford  him  true  and  permanent  enjoyment,  and 
what  influences  occasion  him  painful  sensations, 
we  deduce  thence  his  rules  of  conduct.  This  ap- 
pears to  be  the  only  reasonable  method,  for  all  the 
philosophy  and  all  the  religion  in  the  world,  will 


178  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

never  be  able  to  carry  us  beyond  the  usual  course 
of  experience,  or  give  us  measures  of  conduct  and 
behavior  different  from  those  which  are  furnished 
by  reflections  on  common  life.  No  new  fact  can 
be  inferred  from  the  religious  hypothesis;  no 
event  foreseen  or  foretold ;  no  reward  or  punish- 
ment expected  or  dreaded  beyond  what  is  already 
known  by  practice  and  observation. 

Moral  conduct  springs  from  the  mutual  wants 
and  interests  of  mankind.  It  is  each  man's  inter- 
est that  his  neighbor  should  be  virtuous;  hence 
each  man  knows  that  public  opinion  will  approve 
his  conduct,  if  virtuous,  —  reprobate  it,  if  vicious. 
And  whenever  mankind  at  large  perceive,  and 
whenever  legislators  act  upon  the  perception,  that 
virtue  and  vice  exist  solely  with  reference  to  the  nat- 
ure of  human  beings  —  then  may  we  expect  to  see 
truth  and  reason  prevail  in  the  world.  Those 
rules  of  conduct  only  can  rightly  be  called  laws, 
which  regulate  human  actions  alike  on  one  day  as 
on  another  day ;  and  in  a  nation  calling  itself  a 
republic,  the  laws  of  Moses  should  have  no  validity 
in  courts  of  law  to  authorize  persecutions  for  the 
breach  of  superstitious  customs.  Our  highest  ob- 
ject and  the  end  of  our  endeavors,  should  be  to 
free  our  country  from  the  exercise  of  all  religious 
tests  in  all  judicial  proceedings,  and  from  Sunday 
penalties  which  violate  the  simple  and  imprescript- 
ible rights  of  man.  The  tyranny  of  priests  is  as 
odious  and  insufferable  as  that  of  kings.  The  at- 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  179 

tempt  to  justify  the  violatioh  of  natural  liberty 
because  the  majority  adhere  to  those  Mosaical  pre- 
scriptions which  occasion  it,  only  enhances  the 
injustice. 

When  the  priests  and  their  supporters  say,  that 
"  The  dogma  of  future  rewards  and  punishments 
is  the  bond  of  society,  and  that  to  overthrow  this 
dogma  of  the  evangelical  economy  would  release 
three  quarters  of  the  Christian  world  from  all  re- 
straint, "  they  might  with  truth  rather  say,  that 
their  imposition  would  be  overthrown,  and  that 
the  tyrannical  institutions  and  exercise  of  priestly 
power  would  be  immediately  set  aside.  Men  for 
their  own  safety  are  interested  in  the  observance 
of  the  obligations  of  civil  order,  and  indeed,  its 
infringement  leads  to  strengthened  measures  for 
enforcing  its  provisions,  and  to  their  increased 
effect  by  the  experience  of  their  indispensability. 
He  must  be  as  great  a  simpleton  who  believes  that 
there  could  possibly  be  a  necessity  for  a  general 
flood  over  the  earth  to  execute  vengeance  on  the 
offenders  against  natural  morals,  as  he  who  gives 
credit  to  its  physical  possibility. 

Experience  teaches  us  that  the  calamities  of 
mankind  have  sprung  from  their  superstitious 
opinions.  The  ignorance  of  natural  causes  created 
gods,  and  imposture  made  them  terrible.  Man- 
kind lived  unhappy  because  they  were  taught 
from  their  infancy  to  think  that  God  had  con- 
demned them  to  misery.  They  never  entertained 


180  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

a  wish  to  break  their  chains,  because  they  were 
taught  that  devotion,  the  renouncing  of  reason, 
mental  debility,  and  spiritual  debasement  were 
the  only  means  of  obtaining  salvation. 

PROVIDENCE. 

It  is  plain  that  Providence  never  interferes  to 
protect  innocence,  or  to  prevent  mischief,  either 
amongst  the  inferior  animals  or  mankind.  The 
more  we  examine  into  the  animal  world,  the  more 
we  shall  be  convinced  that  every  different  species 
and  individual  is  regulated  by  its  own  particular 
interest,  without  reference  to  the  advantage  of 
any  other  species  or  individual,  and  not  by  any 
interference  of  Providence.  We  may  also  observe 
that  there  are  various  species  of  animals  which  are 
formed  by  Nature,  solely  for  the  purpose  of 
destroying  others.  Their  claws,  their  mouths, 
their  teeth,  are  exactly  calculated  for  devouring; 
and  their  stomachs  are  so  constituted  that  animal 
food  is  their  only  nourishment,  and  they  would 
linger  and  die  without  it.  Now  if  God,  or  Provi- 
dence, had  intended  anything  like  peace  and  har- 
mony to  exist  in  the  world,  he  would  have  so 
constituted  animals  of  all  kinds  that  they  should 
feed  on  roots,  vegetables,  fruits,  fungi,  and  other 
inanimate  substances  which  should  have  been 
made  to  grow  from  the  earth  in  sufficient  abun- 
dance and  variety  for  every  description  of  ani- 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  181 

mals.  And  the  system  of  procreation  might  also 
have  been  so  regulated  that  there  never  should 
have  been  too  many  nor  too  few  animals  in  the 
world  at  one  time  ;  arid  then  no  one  animal,  nor 
species,  nor  genus  of  animals  would  have  been  I 
the  natural  enemy  of  another ;  but  the  face  of 
the  earth  would  then  have  exhibited  a  busy  scene 
of  various  animals,  all  living  in  perfect  happi- 
ness. 

The  belief  in  a  Providence  is  not  consistent 
with  the  general  laws  of  Nature,  and  those  who 
profess  to  believe  it  act  as  if  they  believed  it  not. 
Such  an  absurd  doctrine  can  only  be  useful  to 
kings  and  priests,  and  other  deceivers  of  mankind, 
who  use  the  word  Providence  to  give  their  trans- 
actions an  authority  that  must  not  be  called  in 
question,  and  under  which  authority  they  carry 
on  the  most  malevolent  practices.  Thus  they 
screen  themselves  from  public  censure,  as  no  per- 
son that  believes  in  a  regulating  Providence  will 
attach  any  blame  to  them.  But  it  should  be  our 
business  to  banish  from  our  midst  all  belief  in  a 
Providence,  and  to  behave  with  prudence  and 
sobriety  in  all  our  actions,  to  use  our  best  endeav- 
ors in  well-doing,  and  not  allow  ourselves  to  be 
duped  by  those  who  pretend  that  Providence  reg- 
ulates all  the  transactions  of  men  in  authority, 
however  injurious  to  individuals  or  mankind  in 
general.  Let  us,  therefore,  persevere  with  manly 
endeavor  to  be  useful  to  ourselves  and  to  our 


182  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

fellow-men,   trusting   nothing   to   any   imaginary 
being  called  Providence. 

EDITING. 

The  mind  is  so  constituted  as  to  require,  like 
the  body,  alternate  labor  and  repose.  Those  occu- 
pations which  demand  great  and  frequent  efforts 
of  the  mind,  if  they  allow  it  suitable  seasons  for 
relaxation,  are  not  injurious  to  health.  Judicious 
exercise  is  necessary  for  the  healthful  develop- 
ment and  vigorous  action  of  the  mental  as  well  as 
the  physical  constitution.  The  occupations  of  the 
lawyer,  the  divine,  the  farmer,  and  the  mechanic, 
all  afford  the  mind  abundant  periods  of  rest. 
But  such  is  not  the  case  with  that  of  the  editor. 
His  overtasked  intellect  finds  no  repose.  His 
duties  must  be  performed  continually,  —  most  me- 
thodically. Whether  he  feels  like  mental  exercise 
or  not,  whether  sick  or  well,  his  articles  must  be 
written,  and  all  his  multifarious  duties  performed. 
These  labors  are  certainly  sufficient  to  break  down 
an  ordinary  constitution,  but  when  we  add  to 
them  pecuniary  disappointment  arid  embarrass- 
ment, lack  of  expected  appreciation,  the  indiffer- 
ence of  friends  and  the  sarcasm  of  enemies,  we 
have  satisfactory  explanation  of  the  causes  which 
disappoint  the  hopes,  and  cut  short  the  career  of 
so  great  a  portion  of  newspaper  editors. 

There  is  occasionally  an  editor  endowed  with  a 
strong  body  and  a  well-poised  mind,  alike  indiffer- 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  183 

ent  to  censure  and  praise,  satisfied  with  his  own 
powers,  neither  allured  by  hope,  nor  alarmed  by 
fears,  who  will  triumph  over  all  obstacles,  and 
pursuing  calmly  the  even  tenor  of  his  way,  attain 
renown,  wealth,  and  long  life  ;  but  whilst  such  an 
individual  may,  like  any  other  prodigy,  occasion- 
ally be  found,  numbers  will  fall  around  him  the 
victims  of  unrequited  mental  labor  and  disap- 
pointed hopes. 

A   CHEERFUL    PHILOSOPHY. 

Surely  no  doubt  should  be  entertained  that  this 
life  should  be  made  a  happy  and  a  cheerful  one, 
that  all  the  faculties  with  which  we  are  gifted 
should  be  cultivated  and  improved,  and  that  all 
the  means  of  rational  and  innocent  pleasure  should 
be  cherished.  Is  the  earth  wrapped  up  in  a  gloomy 
mantle,  or  in  a  delightful  verdure  ?  Does  the  vege- 
table world  put  forth  its  leaves,  its  blossom  and  its 
fruits,  and  its  delightful  fragrance  in  sadness  and 
mourning,  or  in  joy  and  thanksgiving  ?  Does  the 
returning  sleep  of  exhausted  nature  awaken  emo- 
tions of  distrust  and  despondency,  or  teach  us  a 
tranquillizing  lesson  of  the  change  which  is  to  hap- 
pen in  human  existence  ?  Does  the  storm  of  winter, 
and  the  snowy  covering  in  which  it  clothes  the 
earth,  terrify  us  with  the  power  of  Nature,  or 
awaken  new  thoughts  of  contentment  and  satisfac- 
tion? Is  the  animal  world  destined  to  pain  and 


184  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

misery,  or  to  pleasure  and  gladness  ?  Which  of  its 
many  tribes  does  not  cling  to  life  as  a  precious  gift  ? 
Why,  then,  should  man  regard  his  God  —  if  there 
be  one  —  as  a  stern  and  inexorable  tyrant,  and  not 
as  a  kind  and  beneficent  sovereign  over  all  the 
human  race  ? 

It  is  evident,  we  think,  that  this  gloomy  and 
absurd  doctrine  was  originated  and  has  been  main- 
tained by  religion,  and  that  it  will  continue  until 
the  religion  which  produced  it  is  superseded  by  a 
liberal  and  rational  philosophy.  There  is  no  rea- 
sonable doubt  that  this  philosophy,  when  properly 
taught  and  understood,  will  diffuse  itself,  event- 
ually, throughout  the  earth.  However  slowly  that 
day  may  seem,  to  bigots  and  sectarians,  to  be 
coming,  that  day  will  finally  come,  and  long  before 
eighteen  hundred  years,  or  the  time  that  Christian- 
ity has  been  upon  the  earth.  Why  has  Liberalism 
made  so  little  progress,  comparatively,  during  eight- 
teen  centuries  ?  This  question  can  be  satisfac- 
torily answered  only  by  recurrence  to  the  history 
of  the  world  during  that  long  lapse  of  time  in 
which  Christianity  was  in  the  ascendant,  and 
exercised  supreme  sway  and  dominion.  If  we  had 
space  for  such  a  purpose  now,  it  could  be  easily 
proved  that  it  is  rather  wonderful  that  Liberalism 
has  made  so  much,  rather  than  that  it  has  not 
made  greater,  progress.  When  it  shall  come  to 
be  fully  understood  as  a  matter  in  accordance  with 
the  highest  development  of  human  reason,  there 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  185 

will  be  no  cause  of  discouragement  as  to  its  uni- 
versal diffusion. 

It  is  an  unquestionable  truth  that  the  best 
method  of  disseminating  truth  and  virtue,  is  to 
cultivate  the  human  mind  and  to  impart  to  it  com- 
prehensive and  philosophic  knowledge.  The  wis- 
est men  are  the  best  men,  but  as  there  are  many 
different  constructions  of  the  nature  and  obliga- 
tions of  the  Christian  faith,  they  cannot  all  be 
best,  and  we  doubt  whether  any  one  of  them  is. 
That  system  of  teaching  and  morals  which  is  best 
will  be  known  only  as  general  intelligence  is  dif- 
fused, and  as  the  intelligent  are  led  to  inquire  and 
to  judge.  Even  the  contentions  among  Christians 
themselves  tend  to  this  result,  because  if  there  be 
any  truth  in  the  Gospel,  it  will  eventually  come 
out  of  these  controversies  The  people  of  these 
United  States  are  singularly  blessed  that  no  regal 
or  sacerdotal  power,  and  no  political  authority, 
presents  any  obstacle  to  free  inquiry.  The  tongue, 
the  pen,  and  the  press,  together  with  free  discus- 
sion and  free  speech,  will  bring  about  the  true 
philosophy  and  practice,  whatever  that  may  be 
found  to  be. 

A  NOBLE   LIFE. 

Exertion  is  the  price  of  a  noble  life.  The  pur- 
suit of  a  noble  object  adorns,  ennobles,  and  vivi- 
fies life.  Without  definite  aim,  life  is  like  a 
rudderless  ship,  drifting  about  between  life  and 


186  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

death,  and  entirely  at  the  mercy  of  the  waves. 
While  one  with  folded  arms  waits  for  future 
opportunities,  another  makes  the  meanest  occur- 
rences subservient  to  a  golden  result.  One  labors 
to  find  something  to  do ;  the  other  labors  to  do 
something.  When  the  Alps  intercepted  his  line 
of  march,  Napoleon  said,  "  There  shall  be  no 
Alps."  When  difficulties  from  poverty,  and  diffi- 
culties from  the  opposition  of  friends  beset  him, 
Franklin  resolutely  determined  there  should  be  no 
difficulties.  Greatness  has  in  its  vocabulary  no 
such  word  as  fail.  It  will  work ;  it  must  succeed. 
Happy  is  he  who  at  the  sunset  of  life  can  recall 
the  years  that  have  gone  swift-footed  by,  without 
bringing  before  him  a  fearful  array  of  squandered 
opportunities. 

ACTIONS. 

The  important  object  that  bears  upon  society, 
refers  itself  to  the  actions  of  men.  Stephen 
Girard  was  perhaps  as  irreproachable  in  his  habits 
as  the  generalit}'-  of  his  species,  and  did  much 
good.  Yet  he  has  been  reproached  for  his  opin- 
ions. The  legitimate  inquiry  of  society  ought  to 
have  reference  only  to  our  conduct.  Is  he  sober 
and  industrious?  Is  he  a  good  husband,  a 
good  father,  an  exemplary,  upright  citizen?  Is 
he  honest  and  square  in  his  dealings  ?  There 
are  few  of  us  that  live  up  to  the  standard 
here  indicated.  It  is  pleasant,  however,  to  feel 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  187 

and  know  that  we  have  reached  that  point  of  im- 
provement where  we  have  found  out  that  he  who 
is  all  these,  stands  not  in  need  of  clerical  interpo- 
sition to  give  him  a  passport  to  heaven.  We 
have  a  heaven  on  earth,  in  that  peace  of  mind,  the 
reward  of  virtue.. 

When,  therefore,  the  religionists  of  the  day 
come  to  compare  notes  with  us,  where  do  we 
differ  ?  We  do  not  believe,  they  say.  True,  we 
do  not  believe  in  professions,  in  doctrines,  in 
creeds.  These  are  not  of  God ;  they  are  of  man : 
they  are  the  inventions  of  designing  men,  who 
would  live  upon  the  credulity  of  their  fellow-men, 
instead  of  the  exercise  of  that  labor  which  they 
denounce  as  a  curse.  We  would  not  be  under- 
stood to  charge  these  designs  upon  those  who  now 
believe  and  act  conscientiously.  This  is  not  our 
intention.  We  believe  they  are  sincere,  and  we 
only  ask  them  to  extend  the  same  charity  to  us. 
The  great  concern  of  mankind  is  charity. 

BIGHTS. 

All  just  governments  originate  with  the  people. 
With  respect  to  religious  and  political  rights,  we 
are  all  born  equal.  "One  half  of  mankind  (as 
the  Democratic  Jefferson  said)  "  are  not  born 
with  saddles  on  their  backs,  and  the  other  half 
born  booted  and  spurred,  ready  to  ride  them  by 
the  grace  of  God."  Might  can  never  make  that 


188  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

right  which  is  not  right  in  itself.  There  are  cer 
tain  inalienable  rights  of  which  no  man  can  be 
deprived  —  unless  forfeited  by  crime  —  without 
violating  a  natural  and  fundamental  principle  of 
justice.  Of  these  are  the  rights  of  conscience. 
We  have  the  same  natural  right  to  entertain,  to 
express,  and  to  disseminate  our  Infidel  opinions, 
that  our  Christian  neighbor  has  to  promulgate  and 
advocate  his.  And  if  all  our  neighbors  should  be 
of  one  opinion,  and  we  alone  should  differ  with 
them,  the  case,  as  it  respects  rights,  is  not  at  all 
altered.  They  would  have  the  power,  but  they 
would  have  no  more  right  to  injure  us  than  we 
should  have  to  injure  them. 

Upon  the  very  same  principle,  a  majority  of  the 
people  in  this  commonwealth,  however  great  that 
majority  might  be,  would  have  no  more  natural 
right,  if  so  disposed,  to  make  and  put  in  force 
any  law  which  should  injure  a  single  individual 
of  the  state,  on  account  of  his  religious  sentiments, 
or  the  open  profession  of  them,  than  they  would  to 
take  an  innocent  man's  life. 


RELIGION   AND   COMMON   SENSE. 

We  hear  a  great  deal  about  "pure  religion," 
and  the  phrase  seems  to  be  an  admission  that  all 
religion  is  not  pure,  which  is  no  doubt  the  fact ; 
but  what  quality  of  religion  is  genuine,  or  who 
possess  it,  may  be  difficult  to  decide.  And  even 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  189 

if  we  knew,  how  much  better  off  should  we  be? 
For  what  is  religion,  in  itself  considered,  and  sep- 
arate from  morality,  to  which  it  has  no  just  or 
proper  claim  ?  It  is  a  system  of  faith  in,  and  wor- 
ship of,  supernatural  agencies  and  beings.  That  is 
about  all  there  is  of  it,  when  summed  up  in  brief. 
It  may  exist,  no  doubt,  in  the  character  of  a  good 
man,  but  it  is  no  proof  of  goodness  in  the  individ- 
ual, nor  that  he  is  laboring  for  the  welfare  of  hu- 
manity. It  is  only,  as  we  have  said,  a  system  of 
faith  and  worship  having  reference  to  the  super- 
natural. That  is  religion,  and  all  that  rightly 
belongs  to  it.  We  fail  to  see  wherein  it  can  be  of 
any  benefit  to  this  world,  and  as  for  another,  it  is 
not  settled  yet  whether  there  is  one. 

Now  in  order  to  have  a  system  that  is  useful 
and  practical,  it  ought  not  to  consist  in  unmeaning 
phrases,  forms,  and  ceremonies,  but  in  the  unceas- 
ing practice  of  promoting  the  happiness  of  every 
human  being,  without  regard  to  sex,  party,  coun- 
try, or  color  —  and  confine  its  labors  entirely  to 
this  world,  depending  on  knowledge  rather  than 
faith,  and  human  efforts  instead  of  prayers  to  a 
supernatural  Deity.  This  is  a  common-sense  sys- 
tem or  philosophy,  and  one  in  which  there  are  no 
metaphysical  difficulties  or  mystery,  and  which 
every  child  even,  who  is  properly  educated,  will  be 
taught  to  practise  through  life  —  and  which  he 
will  necessarily  practise,  as  no  incentive  to  in- 
jure his  fellow-man  will  then  exist,  such  as  form 


190  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

an  inherent  and  essential  part  of  the  present  order 
of  society.  Under  the  common-sense  system  to 
which  we  allude,  there  would  not  be  the  slightest 
pretext  for  keeping  up  those  holy  bugbears  which 
are  supposed  by  many  Christians  to  be  so  indis- 
pensable at  present  to  control  the  vicious  inclina- 
tions of  human  beings,  such  as  avenging  Gods, 
devils,  priestly  prayers,  and  denunciations;  but 
mankind  will  be  governed  by  reason,  and  learn 
their  duty  by  obeying  the  laws  of  Nature,  which 
are  the  only  true  guides. 

SCIENCE  AND  RELIGION. 

It  is  generally  agreed,  we  believe,  that  the 
human  race  has  made  great  progress  in  the  arts 
and  sciences,  and  it  seems  equally  plain  and  self- 
evident  that  the  fact  excites  no  fear  or  alarm. 
We  nowhere  find,  in  civilized  nations,  that  the 
people  complain  because  they  are  superior,  in 
regard  to  invention  and  discovery,  to  their  ances- 
tors who  preceded  them.  On  the  contrary,  they 
exult  at  the  beneficial  change,  and  joyfully  "  accept 
the  situation."  They  congratulate  themselves  on 
the  material  improvement  everywhere  visible,  and 
the  man  who  at  this  day  should  sigh  for  the  return 
of  the  ancient  age,  when  art  and  science  were 
almost  unknown,  \vould  be  considered  as  an 
anomaly  indeed,  if  not  bereft  of  his  senses.  He 
would  be  thought  to  be  one  of  those  unfortunate 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  191 

people  who  prefer  to  grope  their  way  in  blindness 
and  ignorance,  as  was  the  fate  of  the  masses  of 
mankind  before  the  invention  of  the  printing-press 
and  the  mariner's  compass.  And  if  mankind  are 
not  disturbed  at  their  physical  improvement  over 
the  past,  so  neither  are  they,  in  this  respect,  in 
regard  to  the  future.  If  in  the  coming  genera- 
tions, our  descendants  shall  be  able  to  travel  in 
safety  a  hundred  miles  an  hour  on  the  railroads, 
or  sail  in  the  air  about  the  country  in  balloon- 
ships,  or  walk  on  the  water  as  on  the  land,  or  by 
some  "  elixir  of  life  "  prolong  existence  to  five  hun- 
dred years,  supposing  these  things  possible  and 
probable,  they  give  no  uneasiness  in  prospect,  nor 
will  they  if  realized.  Somehow,  mankind  have 
no  apprehension  of  danger  from  physical  discov- 
eries in  any  of  the  departments  of  science,  but 
seem  to  rest  satisfied  with  the  conviction  that  it 
is  all  for  the  best,  and  thus  it  is  that  in  this  par- 
ticular, at  least,  the  most  intelligent  Christians 
and  all  heretics  are  united,  as  it  were,  on  a  com- 
mon ground. 

But  when  we  come  to  "  religion,"  as  it  is  called, 
the  whole  scene  changes.  Here  there  is  no  prog- 
ress, nor  can  there  be  in  the  nature  of  the  case, 
and  it  is  sinful  and  wicked  to  allow  of  any.  Re- 
ligion is  said  to  be  divine,  and  of  course  it  is  a 
finality,  for  it  includes  everything  in  its  especial 
department,  and  cannot  possibly  be  improved  upon 
in  any  degree  whatever,  therefore  it  is  perfect, 


192  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

and  progress  where  there  is  perfection  is  entirely 
superfluous,  unnecessary,  and  out  of  the  question. 
Yet  (and  here  is  the  crowning  absurdity),  this 
standard  of  moral  truth  and  duty  called  religion, 
was  proclaimed  eighteen  hundred  years  ago,  among 
an  ignorant  people  in  an  obscure  corner  of  the  earth, 
and  it  is  in  tended  for,  and  is  strictly  applicable 
to,  all  mankind  in  all  ages  to  come,  as  long  as  time 
shall  last,  for  as  it  came  from  God,  mortal  man 
can  never  improve  upon  it !  Such  is  the  nature 
of  religion,  as  denned  by  its  teachers.  It  is  per- 
fect all  through,  and  consequently  needs  not  and 
cannot  have  any  improvement.  But  mankind 
make  progress  in  everything  else?  Undoubt- 
edly, and  they  glory  in  the  fact ;  yet  in  religion, 
the  motto  has  always  been,  since  its  birth,  and  is 
now,  "  Keep  as  you  are  ;  remove  not  the  ancient 
landmarks  of  our  faith  and  worship,  or  the  moral 
world  will  tumble  into  ruins."  This,  in  sub- 
stance, has  been  the  cry  of  religion  for  the  last 
two  thousand  years,  nearly,  and  when  from  time 
to  time  during  this  long  period  men  have  appeared 
in  Europe  and  opposed  this  religion  on  the  ground 
that  it  was  imperfect  and  might  be  improved,  they 
were  denounced  as  "  Infidels,"  enemies,  and  burnt 
to  death.  No  other  course  could  have  been  pur- 
sued with  them  under  the  circumstances.  They 
opposed  a  religion  which  claims  to  be  Divine,  and 
was  so  regarded,  and  as  their  opposition  was  con- 
sidered to  be  the  unpardonable  sin,  they  were  per- 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  193 

secuted  and  put  to  death  in  honor  of  the  church 
and  for  the  glory  of  God.  Their  punishment  as 
unavoidably  grew  out  of  religion,  as  effect  flows 
from  cause,  and  herein  is  involved  the  radical,  in- 
trinsic, inherent,  or  the  fundamental  error  which 
has  always  made  and  always  will  make  religion  a 
hindrance  and  a  stumbling-block  in  the  path  of  prog- 
ress; namely,  it  forbids  improvement.  "If  any 
man  preach  any  other  Gospel  than  this,  let  him  be 
accursed."  Here,  in  this  admonition  of  a  New 
Testament  Apostle,  we  have  the  spirit  which  has 
always  characterized  religion,  and  rendered  it  an 
injury  rather  than  a  blessing  to  mankind.  Estab- 
lished in  an  age  of  ignorance  and  superstition,  and 
presuming  to  be  Divine  or  perfect,  religion  has 
necessarily  been  a  clog  or  barrier  to  mental  im- 
provement ;  for  arrogating  to  itself  perfection  at 
the  start,  it  had  nothing  to  learn,  because  it  claimed 
to  know  everything  when  it  commenced.  But 
this  is  folly,  as  the  knowledge  possessed  to-day  by 
mankind  has  been  obtained  by  long  and  patient 
study,  observation,  and  experience,  and  therefore 
it  is  not  less  absurd  to  teach  that  Adam  and  Eve 
were  born  or  created  a  full-grown  man  and  woman, 
than  it  is  to  claim  that  a  religion  of  eighteen  cen- 
turies ago  cannot  be  improved  upon,  but  is  exactly 
fitted  for  the  moral  and  intellectual  condition  of 
the  race  as  long  as  it  shall  exist.  With  just  as 
much  propriety  might  it  be  maintained,  that  the 
clothes  of  the  infant  are  adapted  to  the  growth 


194  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

and  size  of  the  man,  or  that  the  little  amount  of 
knowledge  generally  possessed  in  ancient  times,  is 
all  that  mankind  will  ever  require  in  the  present 
and  future.  The  poor  simpleton  of  a  courtier 
whom  we  used  to  read  of  in  the  story  books,  who 
thought  in  his  vanity  that  he  could  chain  the 
waves,  was  no  more  out  in  his  reckoning  than 
those  Christians  who  vainly  attempt  to  fasten  a 
padlock  upon  the  human  mind,  and  keep  it  eter- 
nally in  one  position.  It  cannot  be  done.  The 
mind  will  sooner  or  later  throw  off  its  trammels, 
for  it  is  always  restless  and  active,  and  this  being 
its  nature,  there  can  be  no  finality  to  any  subject 
of  thought,  as  every  generation  will  have  its  own 
views  upon  it.  Hence  it  is  that  the  Christian 
religion,  proclaimed  in  Judea  eighteen  centuries 
ago,  has  been  as  unavoidably  improved  as  the  no- 
tions of  science  that  prevailed  at  that  time,  and 
in  these  days  the  improvement  of  the  former  is 
greatly  accelerated.  PROGRESS  is  the  standard 
under  which  the  world  is  now  marching,  and  relig- 
ion, as  well  as  science  and  government,  must  "fall 
in  "  or  "  go  under." 

THOUGHTS    ON    LIFE   AND   DEATH. 

One  of  the  leading  doctrines  of  the  Christian 
Religion  is,  as  a  prayer  for  the  sick  expresses  it, 
"  to  fit  and  prepare  for  death."  Now  there  is  no 
reasonable  objection,  when  a  person  is  near  his 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  195 

final  hour,  to  making  his  last  moments  as  easy, 
quiet,  and  peaceful  as  possible,  in  order  that  the 
sufferer  may  pass  off  to  his  rest  in  as  comfortable 
a  manner  as  the  kind  offices  of  friends  can  devise. 
And  if  to  some  people  this  desirable  effect  can  be 
brought  about  by  prayer,  it  might  be  used  on 
about  the  same  principle  as  physicians  give  an 
anodyne,  to  tranquilize  the  nerves.  The  doctor 
does  not  expect  to  accomplish  a  cure  when  he  sees 
recovery  impossible,  and  therefore  he  turns  his 
attention  towards  rendering  the  last  moments  of 
his  patient  as  quiet  and  painless  as  medical  skill 
and  experience  can  suggest.  The  motive  is 
prompted  by  kindness,  and  so  everybody  who  pos- 
sesses this  feeling,  approves  of  the  course  of  the 
doctor  in  such  cases.  On  the  same  principle  and 
for  the  same  purpose,  prayer  might  be  beneficial ; 
and  if  it  can  be,  there  is  no  more  that  is  unreason- 
able, perhaps,  as  far  as  the  sick  man  is  concerned, 
in  praying  for  him,  than  there  is  in  assuaging  his 
mortal  pains  with  some  oblivious  opiate.  We 
should  always  be  ready  and  willing  to  do  any  act 
which  benefits  our  fellow-men,  when  the  motive 
for  the  action  is  dictated  by  kindness  and  benevo- 
lence, and  when  it  involves  no  surrender  of  what 
we  regard  to  be  true. 

The  great  objection,  however,  to  prayer  in  the 
Christian  sense  as  a  preparation  for  death,  consists 
in  the  fact  that  it  is  very  apt  to  be  viewed  as  a 
substitute  or  as  an  equivalent  for  a  good  and  use- 


196  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

ful  life.  This  is  a  great  and  ruinous  error,  and 
one  that  seems  to  be  sanctioned  by  the  New  Tes- 
tament itself,  in  its  familiar  examples  of  "the 
eleventh  hour "  and  the  death  of  "the  penitent 
thief  on  the  cross."  The  only  inference  from  this 
kind  of  teaching  is,  that  a  bad  life  may  be  atoned 
for  by  a  little  contrition  or  sorrow  just  before 
death.  As  well  might  the  farmer  in  autumn  of  the 
year  expect  to  gather  a  crop  from  a  field  he  had 
never  tilled,  as  a  transgressor  through  life  expect 
to  become  a  good  and  virtuous  man  on  his  death- 
bed, by  a  little  sorrow  or  repentance  over  a  long 
and  criminal  course  of  conduct.  It  is  a  monstrous 
absurdity,  and  the  only  influence  it  can  have  is  to 
increase  crime,  rather  than  diminish  it. 

And  these  reflections  lead  us  to  see  the  utter 
folly  of  attaching  any  importance  to  death  under 
such  circumstances ;  nor  is  it  a  true  test,  in  any 
case  whatever,  that  the  life  has  been  uniformly 
correct  and  upright.  It  may,  and  no  doubt  does 
happen  that  a  man's  last  hours,  if  he  have  mind 
enough  left  to  think  at  all,  will  prove  the  sincerity 
with  which  he  holds  his  opinions,  whatever  they 
may  be ;  but  this  is  no  proof  that  his  life  has  been 
morally  good. 

It  is  character,  alone,  that  makes  the  right  kind 
of  a  man,  and  character  is  acquired  only  by  unex- 
ceptionable conduct  in  our  everyday  life  and  inter- 
course with  one  another,  and  not  in  the  solitude 
and  privacy  of  a  sick-chamber,  when,  our  work 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  197 

done  and  our  mission  ended,  we  lay  ourselves 
down  to  die.  So  that  the  Christian  doctrine, 
'•'•After  death  comes  the  judgment,"  is  not  by  any 
means  of  as  much  consequence  as  the  judgment 
which  is  passed  on  a  man's  character  BEFORE  his 
death. 

Besides,  sickness  is  not  a  proper  time  to  form  an 
estimate  of  conduct  or  mind  either.  As  well 
judge  of  the  strength  and  completeness  of  a  build- 
ing when  its  timbers  and  walls  are  tumbling  to 
the  ground,  as  of  the  mental  and  physical  condition 
of  the  man,  who,  amid  the  nausea  of  medicine  and 
the  spasms  of  dissolving  nature,  is  but  a  mere  wreck, 
and  "nothing  is  but  what  is  not."  From  all  such 
sickly  fancies,  engendered  by  religion,  we  turn  to 
the  teachings  of  Nature  and  Reason,  and  we  learn 
from  them  that  if  we  would  form  a  true  estimate 
of  mankind,  we  must  consider  their  peculiarities 
or  characters  when  in  a  state  of  health  and  action. 
There  can  be  no  error  or  mistake  in  this  course, 
for  here  we  judge  the  tree  by  the  fruit.  Prayers 
and  professions  are  only  breath,  and  in  themselves 
considered  are  of  no  account;  but  a  good  life  is 
always  pure  gold,  and  like  that,  never  fails  to  be 
appreciated. 

Not  to  deathbeds,  then,  are  we  to  look  for  evi- 
dences of  goodness  in  any  man,  but  to  his  life,  and 
to  that  alone ;  and  if  he  has  been  in  his  dealings 
honest,  truthful,  moral,  just,  and  kind,  his  life  has 
been  in  the  right,  though  he  may  never  have 


198  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

made  a  prayer,  nor  attended  a  church,  nor  read  a 
chapter  of  the  Bible.  In  religion,  these  ceremonies 
are  indispensable;  but  as  they  are  not  inherent 
proofs  of  goodness,  it  follows  that  what  mankind 
most  need  for  their  improvement  and  happiness  is 
not  religion  but  moral  character.  Religion  has 
reference  to  another  world,  of  which  no  one 
knows  anything ;  morality  relates  wholly  to  the 
duties  which  a  man  owes  to  himself  and  his  fellow- 
men  here  in  this  life  —  and  these  duties  can  be 
known  and  practised.  There  is,  therefore,  as 
much  difference  between  morality  and  religion,  as 
the  governing  rules  or  guides  of  conduct,  as  there 
is  between  the  truthful  principles  of  Reason,  and 
the  fanciful  vagaries  of  a  blind  superstition. 

FOLLOW   THE  LIGHT   OF   EVIDENCE. 

Education,  passion,  and  external  circumstances 
have  a  powerful  influence  in  bewildering  the 
minds  of  honest  and  well-intentioned  individuals. 
But  however  gaudily  an  hypothesis  may  be 
dressed,  an  inquirer  after  truth  ought  not  for  a 
moment  to  be  dazzled  by  the  meretricious  glitter. 
"  He  should  (as  the  Rev.  Dr.  Chalmers  observes 
in  his  Evidences  of  Christianity*)  be  prepared  to 

FOLLOW   THE   LIGHT  OF    EVIDENCE,  though  it  111  ay 

lead  him  to  conclusions  the  most  painful  and  mel- 
ancholy ;  he  should  train  his  mind  to  all  the  hardi- 
hood of  abstract  and  unfeeling  intelligence ;  he 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  199 

should  give  up  everything  to  the  supremacy  of 
argument,  and  be  able  to  renounce  without  a  sigh, 
all  the  tenderest  prepossessions  of  infancy,  the 
moment,  the  truth  demands  of  him  the  sacrifice. 

Now,  keeping  this  good  advice  in  mind,  let  us 
look  for  a  few  moments  at  Nature,  or  the  Material 
Universe,  as  the  uncaused,  the  self-existent  being 
or  state,  and  contrast  it  with  the  opposite  or  the 
spiritual  idea,  in  order  that  we  may  discover  which 
of  the  two  is  the  more  philosophical.  Take  for 
illustration,  a  watch :  we  infer  from  its  peculiar 
structure  and  purpose  that  it  had  a  maker  ;  expe- 
rience tells  us  that  its  maker  must  have  been  an 
intelligent  being,  whom  we  term  man.  We  then 
find  that  man  is  a  much  more  complicated  machine 
than  a  watch,  and  our  next  inquiry  is,  Who  made 
man?  Here  experience  deserts  us.  Wa  see  a 
regular  succession  of  men  and  women,  but  no  one 
can  show  us  their  origin.  Then,  as  experience  is 
no  guide  in  this  matter,  we  endeavor  to  solve  the 
question  by  the  help  of  analogy.  But  here  we  are 
precisely  as  much  in  the  dark  as  ever  :  for  though 
we  infer  that  machinery  of  a  kind  quite  new  to 
us,  is  made  by  a  machinist,  yet  we  have  never 
seen  any  animal  created,  and  therefore  have  no 
good  ground  to  infer  a  creator.  Still,  as  it  was 
evident  that  there  were  powers  in  Nature  with 
which  mankind  were  unacquainted,  and  which  in 
the  rude  periods  of  society  appeared  to  be  wielded 
by  invisible  but  capricious  hands,  the  notion  of  an 


200  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

intelligent  but  an  incomprehensible  being  arose; 
and  thus,  perhaps,  as  Lucretius  says,  "Fear  first 
made  Gods  in  the  world." 

This  notion,  thus  originating,  and  afterwards  so 
successfully  propagated  in  so  many  shapes  and  by 
so  many  means,  acquired  a  firm  footing  on  the 
earth,  and  all  who  were  bold  enough  to  ques- 
tion the  received  dogmas  of  the  priests  and 
churches  were  persecuted  as  vile  unbelievers. 
We  have  at  last  arrived  then,  at  the  popular  rea- 
son for  a  belief  in  a  Deity,  though  it  is  impossible 
to  find  any  agreement  among  the  various  sects  in 
the  different  religions  in  the  world  respecting  him, 
except  that  he  is  entirely  incomprehensible. 
If  you  admit  that  this  Deity  made  man  and  the 
universe,  but  venture  to  inquire  into  the  origin  of 
his  existence,  you  are  directly  told  that  he  is  an 
uncaused,  self-existent,  and  eternal  being,  omni- 
present, omnipotent,  immutable,  and  infinitely 
wise  and  benevolent.  Now  an  intelligent  inquirer 
having  this  theory  before  him,  perceives  its  com- 
plete variance  with  facts  and  experience,  and 
rejects  it.  He  sees  no  reason  for  admitting  more 
causes  than  were  necessary  to  produce  the  effects 
observed,  and  not  being  able  to  see  the  impression 
of  any  other  hand  in  Nature  than  matter  and 
motion,  rejects  what  he  considers  as  superfluous. 
The  believer  says,  mankind  or  the  universe  cannot 
have  existed  without  a  cause,  but  he  says  that  the 
cause  of  mankind  and  the  universe  requires  no 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  201 

cause.  This  uncaused  first  cause,  he  says  is  infi- 
nitely superior  to  the  universe  of  matter,  but 
acknowledges  it  to  be  quite  incomprehensible. 
He  also  allows  that  the  essence  of  matter  is  quite 
as  incomprehensible  as  the  nature  of  the  Deity, 
but  he  decides  without  hesitation,  that  the  one  re- 
quires a  cause,  and  the  other  no  cause  for  its 
existence. 

The  unbeliever,  guided  solely  by  experience 
and  analog}'-,  looks  upon  matter  as  eternally  exist- 
ing, for  he  can  find  no  evidence  of  its  commence- 
ment. He  invests  it  with  no  attributes  which 
contradict  acknowledged  facts,  and  so  long  as  he 
finds  disorder,  vice,  and  misery  making  up  so 
large  a  portion  of  the  ingredients  in  the  world,  he 
cannot  infer  infinite  power,  wisdom,  and  benevo- 
lence to  be  among  its  attributes.  He  cannot  per- 
ceive any  incongruity  in  ascribing  to  matter  the 
powers  and  qualities  of  which  he  finds  it  possessed, 
nor  can  he  see  the  necessity  of  deriving  those 
powers  and  qualities  from  another  being,  who  can 
neither  be  seen,  heard,  felt,  nor  understood  ;  is  cog- 
nizable by  no  one  sense ;  arid  by  those  who  talk 
most  loudly  about  him  is  declared  to  be  totally 
incomprehensible  even  to  themselves.  Who, 
then,  is  it,  ought  to  be  charged  with  being  shallow 
and  unphilosophical?  He  who  is  guided  by  expe- 
rience and  analogy ;  or  he  who  deserts  those  safe 
and  certain  paths,  and  roams  into  the  regions  of 
conjecture,  and  dogmatically  demands  the  ere- 


202  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

dence  of  his  fellow-men  to  the  narrations  of  his 
own  fancy? 

WHAT   IS   TRUTH? 

We  are  told  in  the  New  Testament,  that,  at  the 
trial  of  Jesus,  Pilate  asked  the  question,  "  What  is 
Truth?"  But,  if  we  remember  the  record  cor- 
rectly, he  did  not  wait,  or  rather  did  not  seek  for 
an  answer.  And  so  it  has  been  from  that  day  to 
this,  mankind  ask  the  same  question  as  did  Pilate, 
and,  like  him,  are  too  careless,  indifferent,  or  too 
much  in  a  hurry  to  discover  the  proper  answer. 
They  are  in  the  habit  of  depending  on  others 
for  their  opinions,  and  hence  the  small  amount, 
comparatively,  of  genuine  free  thought  and  men- 
tal independence.  In  all  ages  of  the  world,  and 
even  now  to  a  considerable  extent,  certain  teach- 
ers spring  up  with  a  "  Lo  here  and  lo  there, 
I  am  right,  follow  me,"  and  the  multitude  take 
them  at  their  word  and  "fall  into  line."  We 
see  this  fact  illustrated  in  the  history  of  the  Catho- 
lic Church  and  the  swarming  myriads  of  devotees 
that  crowd  her  portals.  The  Protestant  Church 
shows  more  disintegration  or  independence,  but 
this  is  not  owing  to  any  intrinsic  merit  of  her  own, 
but  wholly  to  the  exercise  of  the  right  of  private 
judgment,  which  is  an  Infidel  rather  than  a  Chris- 
tian principle.  And  if  so,  it  goes  to  prove  — 
what  every  observing  man  knows  to  be  a  demon- 
strated fact  —  that  just  in  proportion  as  Christi- 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  203 

anity  becomes  Infidelized,  does  it  become  sensible, 
liberal,  practical,  human,  natural,  and  useful.  And 
this  also  proves  another  important  fact ;  namely, 
that  Christianity  is  not  needed. 

What  is  wanted  is,  not  any  kind  of  religion  that 
ever  was  or  is  now  taught.  The  world  has  had 
enough  of  it,  and  altogether  too  much.  Let  it  all 
go  to  speedy  oblivion,  bag  and  baggage,  for  it  has 
been  "weighed  in  the  balance  (for  thousands  of 
years)  and  found  wanting."  But  what  do  you 
propose  to  give  as  a  substitute  ?  asks  a  religious 
inquirer.  TRUTH.  And  what  is  that?  A  con- 
formity to  fact  or  reality  ;  or,  as  Frances  Wright 
used  to  express  the  same  idea,  truth  is  knowledge, 
and  knowledge  "signifies  things  known,"  and  fur- 
thermore, "  where  there  are  no  things  to  be  known, 
there  can  be  no  knowledge."  We  accept  this 
doctrine  as  thoroughly  correct,  and  it  comprises 
what  we  mean  by  Infidelity  and  Atheism.  Ap- 
plied to  science,  it  tells  us  that  every  science,  that 
is,  every  branch  of  knowledge,  is  compounded  of 
certain  facts,  of  which  our  sensations  furnish  the 
evidence.  Where  no  such  evidence  is  supplied; 
we  are  without  data ;  we  are  without  first  prem- 
ises ;  and  when,  without  these,  we  attempt  to 
build  up  a  science,  we  do  as  those  do  who  raise 
edifices  without  foundations.  And  what  do  such 
architects  or  builders  construct  ?  Castles  in  the 
air. 

Now  if  we  have  given  a   correct   idea   of  the 


204  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

nature  of  truth,  and  the  basis  of  all  genuine  or 
real  science,  let  us  look  a  moment  at  the  course 
we  should  pursue  in  order  to  arrive  at  truth.  We 
must  be  bold,  independent,  and  fearless  at  the 
start,  be  inquirers  and  investigators  of  the  most 
radical  or  thorough  description,  examining  fully 
and  freely  every  doctrine,  and  submitting  it  to 
the  tribunal  of  reason  for  acceptance  or  rejection. 
There  are  people  who  say  this  is  dangerous  ground. 
They  are  blind  guides,  let  them  not  be  trusted. 
It  is  knowledge  that  we  are  in  pursuit  of,  and 
that  is  not  dangerous,  or  something  of  which  we 
are  to  be  afraid.  What  is  the  danger  of  truth? 
Or  where  is  the  danger  of  fact  ?  Error  and  igno- 
rance are,  indeed,  full  of  danger.  They  fill  our 
imagination  with  terrors ;  they  place  us  at  the 
mercy  of  every  external  circumstance  ;  they  inca- 
pacitate us  for  our  duties  as  members  of  the  human 
family,  for  happiness  as  sentient  beings,  and  for 
improvement  as  reasonable  beings.  This  illusion, 
then,  that  in  our  inquiries  we  can  go  "  too  fast  and 
too  far  "  must  be  discarded.  We  must  understand, 
therefore,  what  knowledge  is,  and  when  we  have 
attained  it  we  shall  clearly  perceive  that  it  regards 
all  equally  ;  that  truth  or  fact  is  the  same  thing 
for  all  human  kind;  that  there  are  not  truths  for 
the  rich  and  truths  for  the  poor ;  truths  for  men 
and  truths  for  women  ;  but  that  there  are  simply 
truths  ;  that  is,  facts,  which  all  who  open  their 
eyes  and  their  ears  and  their  understandings  can 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  205 

perceive.  There  is  no  mystery  in  these  facts ; 
there  is  no  witchcraft  in  knowledge.  Science  is 
not  a  trick,  nor  a  puzzle  ;  the  philosopher  is  not  a 
conjurer,  the  observer  of  Nature  who  envelopes 
his  discoveries  in  mysteries,  either  knows  less  than 
he  pretends,  or  feels  interested  in  withholding  his 
knowledge ;  and  the  teacher  whose  lessons  are 
difficult  of  comprehension  is  either  clumsy  or  he 
is  ignorant. 

MAN. 
"  The  proper  study  of  mankind  is  man." 

We  agree  with  the  famous  poet,  that  "  The  proper 
study  of  mankind  is  man."  He  is  the  highest 
object  as  it  regards  his  physical,  intellectual,  or 
religious  character ;  presents  the  greatest  variety 
in  operation,  and  holds  forth  the  most  boundless 
field  of  speculation  as  it  regards  the  future. 

1.  In  his  physical  constitution  he  is  above  all 
other  animals.     Comparative   anatomy,   which  is 
brought  in  only  to  illustrate  the   beauty  and  ele- 
gancy of  his  form,  abundantly  confirms  our  posi- 
tion.    No  skeleton  can  be  compared  to  his.     The 
sinews,  skin,  muscles,  tissues,  formation,    habits, 
and  movements  of  no  class  of  beings  now  known 
can  vie  with  him.    Others  are  stronger,  more  swift, 
less  affected  by  change  of  climate,  season,  food, 
drink,  and  surfeit ;  but  as  a  whole  he  stands  pre- 
eminent. 

2.  In    his    intellectual    constitution,   likewise, 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

there  is  no  comparison.  He  improves  upon  dis- 
appointment and  defeat.  He  combines  the  wis- 
dom of  ages.  All  the  master-spirits  of  the  world 
leave  the  concentrated  light  and  energy  of  their 
discoveries  spread  upon  his  mind.  Poets,  histo- 
rians, sculptors,  painters,  patriots  and  philanthro- 
pists, though  they  have  passed  away,  live  in  his 
memory  and  breathe  with  his  expiration.  Stand- 
ing on  the  earth,  whirled  at  the  rate  of  more  than 
a  million  and  a  half  miles  a  day  in  its  course 
around  the  sun  and  all  the  universe  in  twenty- 
four  hours  coursing  above  it,  he  has  been  enabled 
in  the  exercise  of  mind  to  admeasure  its  course, 
weigh  its  materia,  poise  the  sun,  and  to  determine 
the  nearest  positive  approach  it  can  ever  make  to 
the  nearest  fixed  star.  He  has,  untaught  but  by 
himself,  been  enabled  to  demonstrate  that  the 
universe  is  infinite.  Thus  a  finite  being  arrives  at 
infinity!  But  how?  By  intellect.  Can  any  being 
or  class  of  beings  do  more  ? 

3.  In  his  religious  or  superstitious  character,  he 
is  wonderful.  He  has  peopled  the  past,  present 
and  future.  He  has  united  time  and  eternity. 
He  has  thrown  the  creation  of  an  eternal  reality 
over  the  regions  of  fancy  and  imagination.  Gods, 
devils,  heaven,  and  hell,  the  thunders  of  omnipo- 
tence and  the  lightning  of  omniscience  are  at  his 
command.  Clouds,  storm,  and  tempest;  light, 
beauty,  and  sublimity  are  his  playthings.  He 
dashes,  mingles,  separates,  and  convolves  to  suit 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  207 

his  ends.  His  body  streaks  the  earth  or  sweeps 
the  ocean  with  a  velocity  too  great  to  suffer  his 
features  to  be  recognized,  but  his  mind,  in  its 
secret  and  impetuous  course,  outstrips  the  light- 
ning, and  not  infrequently  in  the  frail  body  of 
some  Shakespeare  and  Newton  claims  ubiquity 
with  all  intellects  or  with  all  worlds.  If  we  come 
to  the  variety  of  his  operations,  there  is  no  angle 
at  which  he  cannot  strike,  no  complex  combina- 
tion of  numbers  which  he  cannot  solve,  no  climate 
that  he  cannot  breathe,  no  mechanism  which  he 
cannot  construct.  Birds,  beast,  fish,  insects,  all 
yield  to  him.  He  combines  the  varied  operation 
of  all.  He  rises  infinitely  above  them.  The  ocean 
is  his  playground  and  the  mountain  his  monument. 
He  combines  all  combination  and  evolves  all  evo- 
lution. 

But  what  of  his  future  destination  ?  The  in- 
ventive genius  of  the  nineteenth  century  is  but 
the  slumber  and  dream  of  ages.  Who  can  tell 
what  physical  and  intellectual  energies  he  may 
not  evolve  ?  If  he  can  now  cause  light  to  paint 
the  living  image,  who  can  deny  that  it  is  in  the 
compass  of  his  inventive  power  to  concentrate 
mind  itself  and  give  it  "  a  local  habitation  and  a 
name."  Thus  on  all  these  points  in  his  physical 
constitution,  his  intellectual  energies,  his  super- 
stitious devices,  the  variety  of  his  operations  and 
his  future  promise,  he  as  an  object  of  wonder 
rises  above  all  others.  "  The  proper  study  of 


208  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

mankind  is  man."  It  is  so  in  another  point  of 
view,  and  that  especially  adverted  to  by  the 
poet.  To  an  individual,  no  other  study  is  so 
important.  No  art,  skill,  or  science  will  avail 
him  if  ignorant  of  mankind.  He  is  circumven- 
ted by  the  artful  and  ruined  by  the  unjust.  He 
may  be  compared  to  a  world  destitute  of  repul- 
sive power  and  doomed  to  be  lost  in  the  magni- 
tude of  some  inferior  orb  without  it. 


WHAT   HUMANITY   NEEDS. 

According  to  the  religious  teachers  everywhere 
to  be  met  with,  this  world  would  hardly  be  fit  to 
live  in  were  it  not  for  Christianity.  Now  if  this 
be  really  the  case,  we  Infidels  and  Atheists  are 
certainly  engaged  in  a  bad  work,  for  we  are  oppos- 
ing the  greatest  blessing  that  humanity  possesses 
and  can  have.  But  we  are  not  yet  prepared  to 
accept  this  conclusion,  and  in  the  remarks  which 
follow  we  will  endeavor  to  give  briefly  a  few  of 
the  reasons  why,  in  our  opinion,  mankind  can  have 
a  far  better  guide,  counsellor,  and  director  than 
religion,  as  generally  understood,  or  that  form  of 
superstition  known  as  Christianity. 

We  start,  then,  with  the  idea,  which  seems  to 
us  self-evidently  true,  that,  as  a  general  rule,  igno- 
rance is  the  great  cause  of  human  errors,  conten- 
tions, strife,  trouble,  and  misconduct,  —  and  knowl- 
edge is  the  remedy.  As  a  general  principle,  this 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  209 

is  correct,  we  think.  Mankind,  not  being  bad  by 
nature,  and  every  one  without  exception,  perhaps, 
being  in  pursuit  of  happiness,  how  is  it  that  so 
many  of  our  race  make  such  terrible  mistakes, 
and  bring  upon  themselves  misery,  degradation, 
wretchedness,  hatred,  and  crime  ?  Are  these  afflic- 
tions desirable  or  from  choice  ?  Does  any  man, 
woman  or  child  sincerely  want  them  and  strive  to 
secure  them  ?  Most  certainly  not,  if  they  are  of 
sane  mind.  Then,  why  are  these  calamities  so 
common  on  every  hand?  Because  of  ignorance, 
or  because  of  not  knowing  how  to  live  properly 
or  happily  in  this  world.  If  anybody  can  think  of 
any  better  reason,  he  will  please  to  send  it  to  us 
by  telegraph,  or  post  haste.  It  cannot  come  too 
quick,  for  if  we  are  in  error  we  wish  to  know 
"  that  better  way." 

We  believe,  however,  that  we  state  the  true 
cause  and  cure  of  human  ills  and  woes,  when  we 
say  that  ignorance  is  the  cause,  and  knowledge, 
the  cure.  Here  we  have  the  bane  and  the  anti- 
dote ;  the  disease  and  the  panacea.  Knowledge, 
or  a  clear  and  certain  perception  of  truth  or  fact 
as  it  exists  in  Nature  and  ourselves;  an  under- 
standing of  natural  and  organic  laws,  and  of  our 
individual  duties,  together  with  those  that  we  owe 
to  one  another  and  to  society ;  in  a  word,  an  edu- 
cation or  a  training  that  shall  make  mankind 
moral,  just,  kind,  useful,  practical,  and  secular  in 
all  things,  is  what  is  needed  to  start  our  race  on 


210  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

the  right  track,  to  keep  it  there,  and  to  produce 
the  greatest  amount  of  happiness,  improvement, 
and  utility  of  which  human  beings  are  susceptible. 
But  religion,  which  is  founded  in  ignorance  and 
superstition,  cannot  from  its  very  nature  be 
adapted  to  benefit  humanity,  and  if  we  may  credit 
its  history,  it  never  did.  Nor  do  we  see  why  it 
should.  Its  very  essence  is  bigotry  and  persecu- 
cution ;  it  opposes  inquiry,  science,  progress ; 
makes  duty  and  virtue  consist  in  the  belief  and 
support  of  irrational  or  useless  sectarian  dogmas, 
and  finally  sets  up  the  boast  that  its  "  kingdom  is 
not  of  this  world."  For  these  and  many  other 
reasons  that  might  be  urged,  the  Christian  religion 
is  not  adapted  to  human  beings  on  earth,  whatever 
it  may  do  for  them  in  "  Heaven,"  if  there  be  one. 

SECTARIAN    SCHOOLS. 

If  state  and  church  were  united  in  this  country, 
the  Government  might  consistently  support  these 
schools ;  but  as  such  is  not  the  case,  it  cannot. 
Then  again,  all  classes  are  taxed  to  sustain  com- 
mon schools;  —  Infidels,  Spiritualists,  Free  Reli- 
gionists, Jews,  and  the  Nothingarians,  as  well  as 
Protestants  and  Catholics.  But  the  two  latter 
classes  arrogantly  claim  that  they  must  manage  in 
this  matter,  as  though  they  were  the  only  sup- 
porters of  the  schools,  and  had  the  exclusive  right 
to  dictate  their  management.  Accordingly,  the 


OCCASIONAL,   THOUGHTS.  211 

Protestants  say  that  the  Bible  must  be  kept  in 
the  schools,  and  they  seem  to  expect  that  all  the 
other  parties  named  must  acquiesce  in  this  decis- 
ion, and  keep  on  paying  their  taxes  as  usual  for 
the  maintenance  of  these  institutions.  The  Cath- 
olics on  the  other  hand  say  as  arrogantly,  that  the 
Protestant  Bible  must  be  taken  out  of  the  schools, 
but  they  give  the  public  to  understand  that  theirs 
must  be  put  in,  to  take  its  place,  else  the  schools 
must  be  broken  up.  This  is  about  the  way  that 
the  dispute  stands  at  present.  It  is  a  quarrel  as 
to  which  Bible  (St  James's  or  the  Douay  version) 
is  to  have  the  preference  in  the  schools,  and  these 
belligerent  Christians  appear  to  entertain  the  idea 
that  we  outsiders  will  support  either  party  that 
happens  to  gain  the  ascendency.  It  is  "rule  or 
ruin "  with  both  of  them,  and  consequently  the 
preservation  of  the  schools  on  an  anti-sectarian 
basis  rests  wholly  with  Liberals.  On  any  other 
basis,  the  schools  must  necessarily  suffer  in  value, 
if  not  eventually  become  perverted  from  their  orig- 
inal useful  object. 

Now  as  our  government  is  not  religious,  it  is 
plain  that  the  common  schools,  supported  by  com- 
mon taxation,  should  be  devoted  to  secular  teach- 
ing and  to  nothing  else.  There  can  be  no  other 
just  and  equal  plan,  because  if  the  Protestant  and 
Catholic  may  introduce  their  Bibles  into  the 
schools  to  be  read  by  the  scholars,  then  the  Infidel 
may  bring  in  Voltaire's  writings,  and  the  Spirit- 


212  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

ualist,  those  of  Andrew  Jackson  Davis.  All  four 
classes  pay  taxes  to  maintain  the  schools,  and 
therefore  are  equally  entitled,  by  right  and  justice, 
to  a  voice  in  their  management.  But  as  secularism 
is  the  only  subject  on  which  people  do  not  quarrel, 
let  that  be  the  basis  of  the  public  schools,  and 
their  foundation  is  on  a  rock.  Build  them  on 
sectarianism,  or  the  Bible,  and  they  rest  on  sand. 

INDIVIDUALITY. 

When  a  man  discovers  what  he  believes  to  be 
an  error  in  science,  in  art,  in  politics,  in  religion, 
or  in  anything  else  that  in  any  way  affects  or  in- 
fluences humanity,  either  individually  or  collec- 
tively, it  is  his  manifest  duty  to  correct  it,  if  he  can, 
and  administer  a  preventive,  if  possible,  that  will 
act  as  a  safeguard  against  its  recurrence  in  the 
future. 

A  man's  intellect  is  his  own  individual  king- 
dom, over  which  he  reigns  supreme.  It  is  his  intel- 
lect, and  his  intellect  alone,  that  enables  him  to 
assert  and  maintain  his  individuality.  So  long  as 
he  relies  on  his  own  individual  powers  of  ratioci- 
nation as  his  best  and  surest  guide  in  all  the  dis- 
charge of  the  various  duties  of  life,  he  stands  forth 
among  the  people,  a  bright  and  shining  example 
of  individual  existence  and  individual  responsibil- 
ity. But  the  moment  he  abandons  his  self-reliance, 
and  depends  for  his  opinions  and  ideas,  and  almost 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  213 

his  intellectual  existence,  upon  the  opinions  and 
ideas  of  others,  he  loses  his  personal  identity  and 
becomes  an  intellectual  parasite,  stealing  from 
others  the  wealth  they  have  labored  to  procure,  and 
which  he  is  too  lazy  to  work  for. 

It  is  in  this  condition  of  abandoned  self-reliance 
that  we  find  the  great  mass  of  the  people  in  respect 
to  religion.  They  do  not  seem  to  take  a  sufficient 
amount  of  interest  in  religion,  to  give  the  matter 
a  personal  investigation.  They  are  content  to  have 
their  ministers  do  their  religious  thinking,  and  form 
their  religious  opinions  for  them,  while  they  ar- 
range themselves  comfortably  among  their  cush- 
ions, and  lazily  bask  in  the  sunshine  of  a  delusive 
hope.  This  saves  them  a  deal  of  trouble,  and  re- 
lieves them  of  a  great  responsibility ;  for  in  the 
event  of  their  being  right,  there  is  no  respon- 
sibility. 

But  should  they  be  wrong,  the  responsibility 
rests  with  crushing  weight  upon  their  ministerial 
guide  who  has  blinded  their  eyes,  and  succeeded 
in  leading  them,  through  the  promises  of  a  blissful 
hereafter,  into  the  deceptive  sloughs  and  bogs  of 
a  supernatural  religion. 

SUNDAY. 

It  is  often  said  that  Infidels  wish  to  destroy 
Sunday,  but  this  is  not  correct ;  they  would  make 
it  far  more  useful  and  profitable.  This  is  all  the 
change  they  propose,  and  it  cannot  truly  be  argued 


214  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

that  this  is  any  opposition  to  the  day  itself.  They 
would  remove  from  it  the  superstition  and  the 
bigotrjr  which  have  so  long  been  connected  with 
it;  they  would  use  it  to  promote  goodness,  for 
humanity,  for  science,  for  letters,  for  society. 
They  would  not  abuse  it  by  impudent  license  on 
the  one  hand,  nor  by  slavish  superstition  on  the 
other.  We  can  easily  escape  the  evils  which  come 
of  the  old  abuse;  can  make  the  Sunday  ten  times 
more  valuable  than  it  is  now;  can  employ  it  for 
all  the  highest  interests  of  mankind,  and  fear  no 
reaction  into  libertinism. 

The  Sunday  is  made  for  man,  as  are  all  other 
days,  not  man  for  Sunday.  Let  us  use  it,  then, 
not  consuming  its  hours  in  a  Jewish  observance ; 
not  devote  it  to  the  lower  necessities  of  life,  but 
the  higher;  not  squander  it  in  idleness,  sloth, 
frivolity,  or  sleep ;  let  us  use  it  for  the  body's 
rest,  and  for  the  mind's  improvement.  The  Sun- 
day has  come  down  to  us  from  our  ancestors  as  a 
day  to  be  devoted  to  the  highest  interests  of  man. 
It  has  done  good  service,  no  doubt,  for  them  and 
for  us.  But  it  has  come  down  accompanied  with 
superstition,  which  robs  it  of  half  its  value.  It 
is  easy  for  the  present  generation  to  make  the  clay 
far  more  profitable  to  themselves  than  it  ever 
was  to  their  fathers ;  easy  to  divest  it  of  all  big- 
otry, to  free  it  from  all  oldness  of  the  letter ;  easy 
to  leave  it  for  posterity,  an  institution  which  shall 
bless  them  for  many  ages  to  come ;  or  it  is  easy  to 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  215 

bind  on  their  necks  unnatural  restraints ;  to  im- 
pose on  their  conscience  and  understanding  absur- 
dities that  at  last  they  must  repel  with  scorn  and 
contempt. 

INFIDELITY. 

As  much  as  Infidelity  is  scouted  and  opposed,  it 
is  a  curious  fact  that  every  great  revolution 
strengthens  Infidelity  and  weakens  the  church. 
Every  circumstance  that  sets  men  to  thinking, 
creates  Infidels  ;  and  every  attempt  to  improve 
the  condition  of  any  large  class  of  the  community, 
whether  they  are  borne  down  by  vice  or  by  op- 
pression, is  sure  to  meet  with  such  opposition  from 
the  church,  that  reformers  in  fighting  for  these 
good  works  are  obliged  to  fight  the  church 
into  the  bargain.  The  temperance  reformers  have 
been  obliged  to  fight  the  church  in  carrying 
on  their  good  work;  other  social  reformers  are 
obliged  to  do  the  same;  and  so  are  the  Demo- 
crats, at  least  all  of  the  party  who  are  true  to 
the  principles  which  they  profess.  All  genuine 
philanthropists,  all  genuine  reformers,  therefore, 
are  obliged  to  fight  the  church,  while  contend- 
ing for  their  good  works  ;  and  Infidelity  gains  new 
ground  by  being  always  on  the  side  of  reform.  But 
whatever  is  prescriptive  and  intolerant  the  church 
defends. 

This  is  the  state  of  things,  and  it  shows  that  so 
intimately  connected  is  religion  with  all  established 


216  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

laws,  customs,  and  institutions,  that  no  innovation 
can  be  attempted  for  the  removal  of  any  social 
evil,  without  giving  more  offence  to  the  church 
than  to  any  other  body  of  men.  At  the  same 
time  the  church  claims  to  be  the  great  moral  and 
social  physician,  whose  spiritual  panacea  is  the 
only  remedy  for  the  ills  and  woes  of  life.  Yet  it 
is  notorious  that  when  any  practical  reform  is  to 
be  commenced,  it  has  to  be  undertaken  outside  of 
the  church  and  by  men  whom  the  church  con- 
demns as  Infidels,  everybody  being  considered  as 
an  Infidel  by  the  church,  who  steps  out  of  her  old 
and  beaten  track. 

In  short,  it  is  self-evident  to  every  observer 
that  the  church  and  priesthood  have  always  been 
the  greatest  obstacles  in  existence  to  all  moral  and 
intellectual  progress ;  and  we  may  set  it  down  as 
certain,  that  only  in  proportion  as  they  are  de- 
prived of  power  and  influence,  can  the  condition 
of  mankind  be  ameliorated.  We  consider  all  Infi- 
dels, therefore,  as  pioneers  in  the  important  work 
of  universal  redemption,  for  they  are  engaged  in 
the  task  of  removing  the  chief  obstacle  to  politi- 
cal and  moral  improvement. 

THE   INTELLECTUAL   FACULTIES. 

They  are  much  mistaken,  who  think  that  it  is 
useless  to  attempt  instructing  ourselves  at  an 
advanced  period  of  life.  Such  truths  as  we  may 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  217 

have  remained  ignorant  of  during  our  earlier 
years,  may  still  sometimes  shed  a  benign  influence 
over  the  closing  scene  of  our  existence. 

All  we  have  to  do,  is  to  occupy  our  intellectual 
faculties  in  calculating  justly  our  wants;  to  em- 
ploy our  capabilities  with  greatest  effect  in  ob- 
taining their  gratification  ;  and,  finally,  we  should 
always  submit  ourselves  to  the  necessity  of  our 
nature  and  the  inevitable  conditions  of  our  brief 
organization  and  consciousness. 

A  person,  in  the  maturity  of  reason,  doubts  ; 
in  disease,  his  prejudices  revive.  Priests  then 
exult,  terming  his  former  doubts  pretence  or  au- 
dacity ;  they  pretend  to  consider  dereliction  of 
mind,  by  sickness  or  dotage,  the  time  for  sound 
and  deliberate  thinking.  How  common  a  case  is 
this,  and  yet  it  is  as  unwise  as  to  judge  of  the 
strength  of  a  building  when  its  timbers  are  falling 
to  the  ground.  Reason  tells  us  that  when  the 
mind  is  enfeebled,  the  prejudices  of  infancy  may 
recur,  and  strength  may  give  place  to  weakness 
and  decay ;  but  a  man  in  the  maturity  of  his  in- 
tellect and  in  good  physical  health,  with  his  mind 
well  established  in  the  principles  of  truth,  and 
aware  of  the  realities  of  eternal  Nature,  will  not 
be  likely  to  turn  fanatic  under  any  circumstances. 

FREEDOM  OF  OPINION. 

No  man  should  be  blamed,  injured,  or  molested 
on  account  of  his  opinions,  whether  right  or 


218  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

wrong,  on  any  subject.  For  we  always  suppose 
our  own  opinions  to  be  right,  or  we  should  re- 
nounce them.  And  with  respect  to  belief,  every 
one  must  be  the  judge  for  himself.  A  person 
may  be  blamable  for  so  conceited,  so  bigoted  an 
attachment  to  his  own  opinions,  as  not  to  hear, 
and  reasonably  weigh,  all  the  reasons,  proofs,  and 
arguments  against  them.  Every  one  is  justly 
blamable,  and  answerable  to  himself,  for  erroneous 
opinions  conceived  or  retained  for  want  of  such 
impartial  examination  as  his  situation  enables  him 
to  use,  or  from  an  obstinate  conviction  of  their 
infallibility.  And  this  is  all  the  blame  that  can 
reasonably  be  attached  to  any  one  on  account  of 
his  belief,  because  the  opinions  of  men  are  above 
their  control. 

Every  one  comes  to  a  conclusion  on  any  given 
subject,  when  a  certain  weight  of  evidence  has 
been  received,  enough  to  produce  conviction  on 
his  mind ;  although  perhaps  to  another  individual 
whose  mind  is  differently  constituted,  the  same 
evidence  is  quite  insufficient.  So  that  one  may 
believe,  and  another  disbelieve  the  same  thing, 
having  the  same  evidence,  and  both  be  equally 
sincere  and  guiltless.  Our  opinions  are  not  sub- 
ject to  our  will.  We  cannot  believe  and  dis- 
believe as  we  please.  The  only  effect,  therefore, 
which  laws,  punishments,  penalties,  and  disabili- 
ties can  possibly  have,  is  to  render  it  prudent  for 
individuals,  if  they  entertain  unpopular  or  unlaw- 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  219 

ful  belief,  to  conceal  it,  and  —  in  self-defence  and 
against  their  own  will  —  to  cover  themselves  in 
the  garb  of  hypocrisy. 

PROTESTANTS  —  CATHOLICS. 

There  is  a  difference  between  these  sects  as  re- 
gards their  attitude  towards  the  all-important 
Right  of  Private  Judgment.  Not  that  the  former 
admit  it  in  its  fulness  or  entirety,  but  they  come 
nearer  to  it  than  the  latter,  at  least  theoretically, 
and  hence  we  prefer  the  Protestants  to  Catholics. 
Then  again,  the  very  nature  of  Protestantism,  (or 
protest  against  an  infallible  church,)  tends  to  div- 
ision, disintegration,  and  individuality,  which 
accounts  for  its  almost  numberless  sects,  showing 
that  there  is  no  real  bond  of  union  between  them. 
Once  tell  men  they  have  a  right  to  think,  even 
partially,  and  they  will  surely  differ  in  opinion. 

We  see  this  fact  illustrated  in  the  career  of 
Protestantism.  Its  doctrines  of  two  hundred 
years  ago  are  greatly  modified  or  nearly  obsolete 
in  its  church  to-day,  and  this  goes  to  prove  that 
before  another  century  is  finished,  Protestantism 
will  then  be  among  the  things  that  were,  or  swal- 
lowed up  in  Liberalism,  towards  which  it  is  drift- 
ing. So  that  the  struggle  for  Free  Thought,  now, 
and  in  the  future,  will  not  be  so  much  between 
Liberals  and  Protestants,  as  between  Liberals  and 
Catholics,  and  in  this  struggle,  the  Liberals  are 


220  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

destined  to  win,  unless  the  human  mind  retro- 
grades into  the  Dark  Ages,  and  of  that  there  is  no 
probability.  "  Revolutions  never  go  backwards." 

MORAL  INFLUENCE. 

The  influence  of  a  good  example  is  far  reach- 
ing; for  our  experience  and  conflicts  with  the 
world  lead  us  at  times  to  indulge  misanthropic 
sentiments,  and  charge  all  men  with  selfish  and 
impure  motives.  The  play  of  pride,  prejudice, 
and  passion,  and  the  eagerness  manifested  by  the 
great  majority  of  men  to  advance  their  own  inte* 
rests,  often  at  the  expense  of  others,  and  in  viola- 
tion of  the  Golden  Rule,  cause  us  to  look  with 
suspicion  on  the  best  intents  of  others.  Arro- 
gance, hypocrisy,  treachery,  and  violence,  every 
day  outrage  justice,  till  we  are  almost  disposed  to 
distrust  human  nature,  and  become  discouraged. 

But  amid  all  that  is  sad  and  disheartening  in 
this  busy,  noisy  world,  now  and  then  there  is  pre- 
sented to  us  a  life  of  such  uniform  virtue,  that  we 
recognize  in  it  a  character  that  brings  hope  for 
the  perfect  development  and  ultimate  regeneration 
of  our  race.  Such  characters  are  very  precious, 
and  such  examples  should  be  held  up  to  the  world 
for  its  admiration  and  imitation ;  they  should 
be  snatched  from  oblivion  and  treasured  in  the 
hearts  and  thoughts  of  all  who  are  in  process  of 
forming  habits  and  character. 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  221 


KELIGION  IN   THE   PUBLIC   SCHOOLS. 

An  institution  maintained  by  the  taxes  of  the 
entire  community  —  not  only  by  Christians,  but 
by  Liberals,  Spiritualists,  and  Free-thinkers  as 
well  —  should  not  be  partial,  exclusive,  or  favor 
one  portion  of  taxpayers  more  than  another. 
This  is  equal  rights;  it  is  "even-handed  justice," 
and  it  should  be  exercised  in  regard  to  the  public 
schools  not  less  than  in  other  institutions  sustained 
by  the  people  at  large.  But  this  democratic  prin- 
ciple is  not  now  recognized  in  the  management  of 
the  public  schools  of  Boston,  and  never  was,  so 
far  as  we  can  learn. 

They  are,  and  always  have  been  Christian  — 
yet  the  Liberals,  Spiritualists,  Free-thinkers,  and 
Nothingarians  are  compelled  by  law  to  pay  taxes 
to  support  schools  for  teaching  a  religion  in  which 
these  classes  do  not  believe  !  This  is  the  plain,  un- 
varnished truth,  but  we  are  told  every  hour  that 
here  in  Massachusetts  there  is  no  mental  coercion  ; 
that  we  have  no  established  religion  and  no  union 
of  Church  and  State  !  This  kind  of  talk  is  idle, 
and  worse,  for  it  is  fraud  and  deception.  The 
reading-books  used  in  the  public  schools  of  this 
city,  are,  and  always  have  been  permeated  by 
Christianity,  and  hence  are  sectarian  in  their 
teaching. 


222  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 


FORMATION   OF   OPINIONS. 

All  men  are  born  equal  with  regard  to  the  for- 
mation of  opinions ;  by  nature  they  are  allowed  the 
free  exercise  of  their  own  judgments,  equality  in 
investigating,  considering,  and  determining  upon 
all  subjects.  Yet,  notwithstanding  this  truth  will 
be  universally  admitted  (in  the  abstract),  it  seems 
to  be  generally  disregarded  in  the  application  to 
religion.  Hence  it  is  common  to  hear  the  remark, 
by  those  who  denounce  innovations  upon  the  pop- 
ular religious  belief,  that  opinions  ought  to  be 
governed  by  the  general  sentiment. 

But  this  course,  besides  directly  tending  to 
destroy  all  freedom  of  conscience,  would  perpetu- 
ate the  superstition  and  ignorance  which  it  is 
desirable  to  remove,  and  prevent  the  diffusion  of 
the  knowledge  which  all  deem  necessary  and 
desire  to  see  progressive.  We  should  riot  adopt 
opinions  merely  because  they  are  popular ;  if  the 
error  is  general,  so  much  the  greater  should-  be 
the  exertion  to  destroy  it.  If,  by  ignorance  or  by 
some  blind  fanaticism,  the  generality  of  mankind 
have  been  deceived  into  error  must  a  man  for  the 
sake  of  popularity  join  in  the  concert  of  decep- 
tion, and  the  honest  sentiments  of  his  mind  remain 
lost  and  inactive  ? 

If  the  opinions  of  mankind  are  to  remain  fixed, 
when  their  only  claims  to  belief  are  antiquity  and 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  223 

universality,  through  fear  of  encountering  opposi- 
tion or  of  being  unpopular,  what  advance  or  im- 
provement could  we  expect  in  any  knowledge  of 
any  kind?  Oppose  the  liberty  of  thought,  and 
you  retard  the  progress  of  knowledge ;  encourage 
investigation,  and  a  new  era  arises ;  knowledge  of 
all  kinds  advances  with  rapid  strides,  and  man 
becomes,  as  it  were,  a  new  creature. 


A  CHUKCH. 

The  object  of  a  church  is  to  teach  doctrines 
having  reference  to  another  world  in  another  state 
of  being ;  and  even  if  this  plan  does  some  good, 
it  is  of  doubtful  tendency,  on  the  whole,  for  it 
begins,  as  it  were,  at  the  wrong  end  Admitting 
a  future  world  in  which  mankind  are  to  live  after 
they  have  got  through  with  this,  what  will  give 
them  the  best  preparation  for  that  existence? 
Evidently  to  instruct  them  in  the  laws  of  their 
physical,  moral,  and  mental  nature,  and  in  addi- 
tion, to  place  them  as  far  as  possible  in  those  favor- 
able circumstances  which  promote  health,  happi- 
ness, and  longevity.  These  things  are  unques- 
tionably of  the  first  importance  in  this  life,  and 
indispensable,  we  should  suppose,  to  our  well- 
being  in  the  next,  if  there  is  to  be  such  an  arrange- 
ment in  reserve  for  us,  on  the  same  principle,  it 
would  seem,  that  in  order  to  live  properly  to-mor- 
row, we  must  know  how  to  live  properly  to-day. 


224  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

The  whole  question  is  involved  in  the  manner 
of  living,  not  in  religious  faith,  professions,  nor 
building  churches,  but  in  supplying  natural  wants 
in  a  rational  and  practical  mode,  so  as  to  remove 
inducements  or  temptations  to  vice  and  crime. 
Ignorance  and  poverty  lead  to  misconduct  and 
wretchedness,  as  every  observing  person  is  well 
aware  ;  and  hence  the  remedy  for  them  does  not 
consist  in  lavishing  millions  on  gorgeous  taberna- 
cles, but  in  improving  the  bad  social  condition  in 
which  the  poor  and  ignorant  are  placed. 

BLIND   FAITH. 

If  blind  faith  had  no  other  tendency  than  that 
of  leading  to  the  stability  of  virtue  and  its  con- 
sequent happiness,  it  ought  to  be  tolerated  whether 
true  or  false.  The  grand  object  of  life  is  to  aug- 
ment the  sum  of  human  enjoyment  on  earth,  and 
whatever  tends  to  that  end  is  decidedly  good,  and 
therefore  demands  the  support  of  all  well-mean- 
ing men.  But  unfortunately  for  faith,  happiness 
has  not  been  its  fruit.  Ireland  is  full  of  faith,  and 
full  of  misery.  Also  in  Spain,  Portugal,  Italy, 
and  Mexico,  faith  and  bigotry  reign  triumphant, 
whilst  strife  and  wretchedness  cover  those  lands. 

Wherever  superstition  has  lighted  her  fire,  and 
put  on  her  seething-pot,  the  passions  of  men  have 
boiled  over  like  the  lava  from  Mount  Etna,  scat- 
tering misery,  death,  and  desolation,  around.  The 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  225 

very  names  of  vice  and  virtue  have  been  made  in 
many  instances  to  change  places.  Horrible  crimes 
have  been  committed  under  the  supposed  sanction 
of  a  merciful  God,  while  the  most  sacred  duties 
have  been  neglected  under  the  apprehension  of  his 
displeasure. 

The  mind  becomes  confused,  distorted,  and,  not 
unfrequently,  totally  subverted  by  the  strong 
excitements  induced  by  a  blind  superstitious  faith ; 
yet,  because  excitement  is  necessary  to  man,  form- 
ing as  it  does  a  portion  of  his  very  being,  devo- 
tion in  one  form  or  another  will  perhaps  always 
obtain.  It  may  be  stripped  of  blind  faith  and  un- 
meaning ceremony,  it  may  be  rendered  compara- 
tively rational  and  subservient  to  the  growth  of 
human  happiness,  but  it  cannot  probably  be  exter- 
minated. Devotion  is  not  so  much  faith  as  a  feel- 
ing of  the  mind,  a  deep  and  intense  passion  per- 
vading the  heart,  and  mingling  with  the  being  of 
him  who  has  devoted  his  life  to  the  attainment  of 
a  great  and  good  object. 

IGNOKANCE   AND   DEVOTION. 

The  old  proverb,  "Ignorance  is  the  mother  of 
devotion,"  is  conclusively  proven  by  the  well- 
known  fact,  that  among  an  ignorant  and  supersti- 
tious people  there  is  little  or  no  free  inquiry, 
doubt,  and  scepticism.  These  qualities  indicate 
intelligence,  knowledge,  progress ;  and  hence  it  is 


226  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

that  we  find  them  prevailing  in  countries  which 
are  the  most  intellectual,  which  have  made  the 
greatest  improvement  in  the  knowledge  of  them- 
selves and  the  world  they  inhabit.  Among  these 
nations,  England,  France,  Germany,  and  America 
stand  preeminent.  Accordingly  we  witness  that 
in  these  nations  the  doubts  and  disbelief  of  the 
prevailing  system  of  religion  have  kept  pace  with 
the  gradual  extension  of  knowledge.  The  deep- 
rooted  prejudices  of  a  long  succession  of  ages  are 
daily  giving  way  to  the  truths  of  reason  and  phil- 
osophy, and  the  rays  of  science  are  steadily  dis- 
pelling the  mists  of  superstition. 

In  the  Bible,  the  standard  of  their  religion,  the 
Christians  have  long  seen  something  radically 
defective,  or  at  least  not  as  it  should  be  ;  but, 
never  once  doubting  its  divine  origin,  a  thought 
concerning  which  they  have  been  taught  to  believe 
a  heinous  sin,  they  have  attributed  its  incompre- 
hensibilities to  misinterpretation,  and  forthwith 
proceeded  to  adopt  constructions  of  their  own  on 
indistinct  and  incoherent  passages,  as  if  an  ema- 
nation from  the  Deity  would  not  have  been  so 
plain  that  he  who  ran  might  not  only  read  but 
comprehend !  Hence  have  arisen  the  variety  of 
sects  in  the  Christian  religion,  a  variety  that  is 
unknown  in  any  other  religious  system ;  and  a 
convincing  proof  to  the  unprejudiced,  that  if  a 
perfect  Deity  found  it  necessary,  after  endowing 
man  with  the  inherent  power  of  distinguishing 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  227 

between  good  and  evil,  to  furnish  him  with  writ- 
ten instructions,  the  Bible  does  not  contain  them. 


CRIME. 

The  causes  and  remedy  for  crime  and  the  moral 
degradation  of  the  race  is  an  abstruse  question, 
and  some  superficial  remarks  or  erroneous  hypoth- 
esis might  lead  to  some  correct  views  on  the  sub- 
ject. Without  endorsing  the  doctrine  of  total 
depravity,  or  the  other  extreme,  the  perfection  of 
the  race,  we  have  no  doubt  circumstances  might 
or  will  be  attained  to  modify  the  organization  of 
man,  so  that  he  will  exhibit  a  more  rational  char- 
acter. Combe,  in  his  "  Constitution  of  Man,"  in 
speaking  of  witchcraft,  says,  that  Christianity  has 
failed  to  protect  mankind  from  practical  errors ; 
revelation,  with  all  its  extra  mundane  agencies,  is 
a  failure. 

Hence  a  sound  practical  education  is  the  only 
remedy  that  the  human  mind  can  conceive  of  to 
practically  protect  man  from  his  practical  errors  ; 
hence  his  education  should  commence  in  forming 
correct  habits  in  the  room  of  stuffing  his  mind 
about  phantoms  in  the  dark ;  his  moral  sentiments 
should  take  the  place  of  his  animal  sentiments,  so 
that  he  should  have  a  higher  conception  of  him- 
self than  to  live  for  the  purpose  of  gratifying  his 
pride  and  vanity  by  dress,  ostentation,  and  parade. 

His  intellect  must  be  confined  to  realities,  not 


228  OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS. 

the  realm  of  fiction.  In  fact,  it  seems  that  with 
a  correct  education,  many  of  the  evils  of  society 
would  vanish.  These  views  may  be  as  inconsist- 
ent or  Utopian  as  some  others,  but  they  were  sug- 
gested by  comments  made  upon  the  increase  of 
crime. 

MORALITY. 

No  man  needs  a  revelation  to  teach  him  mor- 
ality. It  grows  out  of  the  very  nature  of  man, 
and  is  taught  him  by  all  his  experience  and  obser- 
vation from  the  earliest  recollections  until  his 
knowledge  and  judgment  are  perfectly  matured. 
The  principle  of  it  is  nowhere  to  be  met  with  in 
the  Jewish  code  of  laws.  It  is  to  be  met  with  in 
the  Christian  code,  as  taught  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment, but  there  is  a  great  deal  also  taught  there 
which  is  inconsistent  with  it ;  and  therefore,  as  a 
whole,  the  morality  of  the  New  Testament  is 
neither  pure  nor  good.  We  find  this  principle 
more  fully  and  more  clearly  developed  in  the 
moral  maxims  of  Confucius ;  but  it  is  doubted 
whether  this  principle  of  doing  as  we  would  be 
done  by  has  ever  yet  been  carried  into  effect, 
in  practice,  to  any  great  extent  amongst  man- 
kind. 

The  object  of  morality  is,  not  only  to  produce 
the  greatest  happiness  of  the  greatest  number, 
but  also  the  greatest  happiness  of  the  whole  mass, 
embracing  and  including  all  the  individuals  who 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS.  229 

compose  that  mass.  Not  that  all  should  be  equally 
happy  at  all  times,  or  even  at  any  time,  for  this  we 
believe  to  be  absolutely  impracticable,  if  not  phys- 
ically impossible  ;  but  only  that  all  should  be  made 
as  happy  at  all  times  as  practicable  to  make  them, 
without  encroaching  too  much  on  the  happiness 
of  others  ;  so  that  the  sacrifice  shall  in  no  instance 
be  greater,  if  so  great,  as  the  happiness  promoted 
thereby.  To  hit  upon  a  plan  that  will  best  effect 
this,  will  probably  require  many  experiments ;  for 
we  do  not  believe  that  the  best  experiment  has 
ever  yet  been  tried. 


THIS  WOULD. 

One  world  at  a  time  is  quite  enough  to  attend 
to,  nor  does  there  seem  to  be  any  good  reason  for 
attending  to  another,  since  it  must  be  self-evident 
that  when  mankind  know  how  to  live  properly  on 
the  earth,  they  are  prepared  to  live  in  heaven,  if 
there  be  any  such  place  in  reserve  for  them.  But 
without  this  indispensable  preparation,  it  will  not 
be  a  very  desirable  residence,  even  when  they 
arrive  there,  and  hence  we  may  say,  that  whether 
in  regard  to  this  world  or  another,  our  Infidel  doc- 
trine is  the  only  proper  one  for  either. 

It  is  true  that  men  are  seldom  so  absorbed  in 
thoughts  of  heaven  as  to  be  without  care  or  inter- 
est for  the  good  things  of  earth,  and  that  if  the 
first  day  of  the  week  belong  to  God,  the  other  six 


230  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

are  considered  as  belonging  to  Mammon.  But 
this  only  proves  that  men  are  as  inconsistent  in 
following  out  their  principles,  as  they  are  irra- 
tional in  adopting  them.  If  heaven  be  a  reality, 
as  we  are  told  it  is,  it  ought  to  absorb  our  thoughts, 
and  to  constitute  the  sole  end  and  aim  of  our 
actions. 

We  shall  perhaps  be  told,  that  man  would  faint 
and  sink  under  temporal  afflictions,  but  for  the 
consolations  derived  from  heavenly  or  spiritual 
hopes.  We  admit  that  anticipations  of  a  heaven 
of  bliss  excite  and  give  pleasure  for  the  moment. 
Perhaps  the  opium-eater,  in  his  ecstatic  reveries, 
was  never  more  perfectly  blessed  than  some  en- 
thusiasts have  been  in  their  dreams  of  paradise. 
But  opium,  though  it  offers  a  seducing  mode  of 
escaping  from  present  pain,  is  yet  exceedingly  per- 
nicious in  its  after  effects.  Depression  succeeds 
to  unnatural  excitement,  and  moments  of  bliss  are 
followed  by  days  of  misery.  Visions  of  another 
world  seem  to  us  to  act  as  a  sort  of  moral  opium, 
often  no  less  injurious  to  the  Christian  than  his 
favorite  solace  is  to  the  Turk. 

But  men  must  be  wretched  indeed,  if  to  save 
themselves  from  despair,  they  must  resort  to  arti- 
ficial stimuli,  physical  or  moral ;  arid  we  believe 
that  in  every  case  the  remedy  is  worse  than  the 
disease.  Nay,  more ;  the  remedy  perpetuates  the 
disease.  If  a  man,  to  escape  his  cares,  resorts  to 
the  bottle,  his  cares  will  soon  increase  and  ruin 


OCCASIONAL   THOUGHTS.  231 

him.  And  if,  to  quiet  the  anxieties  of  life,  we 
have  recourse  to  the  excitements  of  religion,  shall 
we  not  be  similarly  situated  ?  Let  us  hope  for 
the  time  when  knowledge  shall  dispel  the  worst 
miseries  of  life. 


2.7  75 
Sif 


THE  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

Santa  Barbara 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW. 


